City of Beacon Approves Municipal IDs

BEACON – On Monday, the City of Beacon Common Council unanimously passed legislation to create a municipal ID.

The vote follows months of advocacy for the legislation by Nobody Leaves Mid-Hudson, a member-led immigrant rights and social justice organization with offices in Kingston, Middletown, and Poughkeepsie.

The group also successfully advocated for the passage of municipal ID legislation in Poughkeepsie (in July), Middletown (in November), and Kingston (in December). There are about 25 municipal IDs nationwide, including in New York City. New York City has issued over one million cards to date.

The IDs will be available to all City residents and will be particularly valuable for the City’s most vulnerable community members: undocumented immigrants, as well as the homeless, transgender people, youth, the elderly, the formerly incarcerated, and others who may have difficulty obtaining other government-issued ID.

The municipal ID will help those who currently lack government-issued ID interact with the police, pick their children up from school, fill prescriptions, see a doctor, open bank accounts, and use the library.

All residents (including those who already have government-issued ID) will be encouraged to get a Beacon ID to foster a more united community. Nobody Leaves Mid-Hudson will work to tie the card to discounts at businesses and other public and private venues in order to help popularize the IDs.

“It’s incredible that this is the fourth Hudson Valley city in which we’ve gotten municipal IDs passed this year. We’re glad Beacon has joined Kingston, Middletown, and Poughkeepsie to say all of its residents should have full access to the City’s civic, economic, and cultural life,” said Jonathan Bix, Executive Director of Nobody Leaves Mid-Hudson.

“The ID will make a big difference in the lives of many Beacon adults and children, including by making sure all parents can go to parent-teacher conferences and get library cards. It will also make Beacon a stronger, more united community, and benefit all residents,” said Ignacio Acevedo, Lead Organizer of Nobody Leaves Mid-Hudson.