Milwaukee's county board and city council both agreed this fall to set aside $150,000 each to develop a municipal ID program.

Milwaukee's plan is designed to provide IDs for people who might not have drivers licenses, especially undocumented immigrants, victims of domestic violence, the homeless and transgender people.

Milwaukee County supervisors have said the municipal IDs would not be intended to meet the state's requirements for voter identification.

Wanggaard and Sanfelippo acknowledged the bill is a response to the Milwaukee plan. Wanggaard argued that towns and counties already lack the authority to issue such IDs. He also dismissed arguments that the bill would make it harder to vote or harder to get a job, or that it is anti-immigrant.

"Anyone who is eligible for a state ID card is able to receive one for free. If that were not true, (the state's voter ID) law would have been ruled unconstitutional," Wanggaard said. "In the end, all county ID cards do is make someone feel better and give them false hope."

Registered against the bill are the city and county of Milwaukee, the Wisconsin Counties Association, the League of Women Voters, Voces de la Frontera and AFSCME Council 32.

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