Beacon Approves Municipal IDs

The Beacon City Council voted unanimously on Monday (Dec. 17) to begin offering a municipal identification card within six months. With the vote, the city joined three other municipalities in the Hudson Valley (Poughkeepsie, Middletown and Kingston) and about two dozen across the country that offer IDs.

The IDs had been championed by groups such as Nobody Leaves Mid-Hudson, which argued they would make it easier for individuals who typically have difficulties in obtaining government ID (such as undocumented immigrants, minors, the recently incarcerated, homeless, and transgender individuals) to participate in civic life, pick up children from school, retrieve prescriptions and interact with police officers.