Mayor announces the acceptance of IDNYC by more than 10 financial institutions and the complete package of card benefits, including entertainment and BigAppleRx prescription discounts
Today, Mayor Bill de Blasio and Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito launched the IDNYC municipal identification program for residents of all five New York City boroughs. The Mayor also announced that the IDNYC card will be accepted as valid primary identification for opening a bank or credit union account at more than 10 financial institutions, and revealed the card’s full suite of benefits.
“IDNYC is not only a card for all New Yorkers, it is the gateway to City services, the key to opening a bank account or getting a library card, and the ticket to many of our city’s finest cultural institutions. More than that, this card represents who we are: New Yorkers who value equality, opportunity and diversity,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “I want to thank Speaker Mark-Viverito and our partners in the Council for their tremendous work and collaboration on this program. Today, we are launching the most ambitious, dynamic and useful municipal ID program in the country, which will have a real and tangible impact on the lives of all New Yorkers.”
“Time and again, New York City has shown that we are not afraid to lead,” said Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito. “In launching the IDNYC program, we are living up to our highest ideals about who we are as a city. I’m proud of my colleagues and bill sponsors Immigration Committee Chair Carlos Menchaca and Council Member Daniel Dromm for their support in this process and thank the de Blasio administration for its partnership in making IDNYC a reality for all New Yorkers.”
“IDNYC identifies you as a card-carrying New Yorker,” said Council Member Daniel Dromm, the card’s main sponsor. “This is an exciting day, because today we are saying that all New Yorkers—regardless of gender identity, immigration status, homelessness, or other identifiers—are an important part of our city. I am so proud to have worked with Mayor de Blasio, Speaker Mark-Viverito, Commissioner Agarwal, and Council Member Menchaca to create what I have called the ‘must-have accessory for all New Yorkers in 2015.’ Congratulations, all!”
“The IDNYC municipal ID card is an opportunity for New Yorkers to become included in the hundreds of programs throughout the five boroughs with a membership to over 30 cultural institutions and libraries, while also acting as a free government-issued ID. I applaud Mayor de Blasio for this innovative program that will unify all of New York City’s residents, regardless of their immigration status, race, gender or sexual orientation under one identity: a New Yorker,” said Council Member Andrew Cohen.
The IDNYC card will be integrated into New York City’s official prescription drug discount card, BigAppleRx, giving card holders up to 50 percent off most FDA-approved prescription medications at more than 2,000 New York City pharmacies. It will also be accepted as valid primary identification for opening bank or credit union accounts at more than 10 financial institutions, including Popular Community Bank, Amalgamated Bank, and Carver Federal Savings Bank.
The Mayor also announced the full suite of IDNYC benefits, including:
· Exclusive entertainment discounts on movie tickets, Broadway shows, sporting events, theme parks, and more with Entertainment Benefits Group.
· A 10 percent discount off annual NYC Parks Recreation Center membership for adults age 25-61 and NYC Parks Department tennis permits.
· A 20 percent discount on family memberships at all 22 YMCA centers citywide.
· A free 30-day trial and fitness evaluation with a certified trainer at all New York Sports Club locations.
· A 5 percent discount off all purchases at Food Bazaar supermarkets in New York City Mondaythrough Friday, from 7 AM to 7 PM.
· A 25 percent discount on New York Pass, a citywide pass to 83 tourist attractions in all five boroughs.
· Free one-year membership packages at 33 of the City’s leading cultural institutions, including world class museums, performing arts centers, concert halls, botanical gardens, and zoos across the five boroughs.
The IDNYC card will make government work more effectively and efficiently for New Yorkers by expanding access to the services, programs and opportunities available to City residents. It will be accepted by the New York Police Department for the purposes of issuing summonses or desk appearance tickets in lieu of arrest, and has been incorporated into the NYPD Patrol Guide. The IDNYC card will grant access to all City buildings, increasing the confidence of New Yorkers to interact with their local government, schools and hospitals. The IDNYC program will continue to expand functionality and grow after the launch date to create an integrated form of identification that will be the one card New Yorkers need in their wallet.
All City residents age 14 and above are eligible to get a municipal ID card, and enrollment is free for anyone who applies in 2015. The City has established 17 permanent enrollment centers throughout the five boroughs, 11 of which are open to the general public in locations highly convenient to mass transit and commercial hubs, including five of the most-trafficked library branches. The City has also opened six enrollment centers for City agency clients in the Department of Probation and the Human Resources Administration. The 18th permanent public enrollment center will open in the spring, and two mobile locations will launch later in January to increase accessibility across the five boroughs.
The Mayor announced support for a municipal ID program during his campaign, and committed to delivering it by January 2015 in his first State of the City address. The New York City Council introduced legislation to create the municipal ID program in April 2014 and the law passed on June 26, 2014 by a vote of 43 in favor to 3 opposed, with 2 abstentions. The legislation signed into law on July 10, 2014 authorizes the City of New York to begin issuing IDNYC cards on January 10, 2015. In August of 2014, the Mayor issued an executive order designating HRA as the administering agency of the IDNYC initiative.
“The people of The Bronx can now represent their borough and their city with great pride by signing up for the newIDNYC municipal identification card, which launches today.
“The program, which will not only provide people with a legal identification recognized as a valid form of ID, but it will also help the 1.4 million residents of The Bronx gain access to city programs such as discounts on prescription drugs, libraries across three boroughs, movie tickets, fitness and health centers as well as free memberships to some of our borough’s amazing cultural institutions such as the Bronx Museum of the Arts, the Bronx Zoo and the New York Botanical Garden.
“I congratulate Mayor de Blasio, Speaker Mark-Viverito and the entire City Council on the implementation of this incredible, groundbreaking program, and encourage all New Yorkers to sign up, just like I did today. If you live in New York City, show that you’re a real New Yorker and sign up for IDNYC,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.
For more information about IDNYC and how to sign up, visit: http://on.nyc.gov/1CTMkvz.
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