It’s one of my favorite pieces of toothless regulation in this city, one which I often break out at that point during parties when people have already had a couple of beers and far more interesting and topical conversational topics have already been extinguished: D.C. law requires most people “domiciled in the city for 30 days or more” who operate a vehicle “in public space” to obtain a driver’s license. It’s just another one of those legislations, like the snow shoveling fine, which is all gums. Of course, it’s significantly less humorous for people living in the city who don’t have a Social Security number — because without one, it’s impossible to follow that law.

D.C. Councilmember Phil Mendelson wants to change that, proposing legislation today which would allow residents to get a license without having to provide their Social. The at-large Councilmember told the Examiner’s Freeman Klopott that “There’s no rational reason for saying in order to drive a car, you have to have a Social Security number.”

An initial reaction to this news is: what took so long? Sure, people can always apply for a Social Security number. But it’s not like the Council didn’t know that there were a large number of people living in Washington who are legal citizens but don’t, for whatever reason, have a Social Security number. In fact, the federal Social Security Administration, on a page informing people on how to apply for a number, says “[u]nless you are a noncitizen who wants to work in the United States, you probably do not need a Social Security number,” adding specifically that “[y]ou do not need a number to get a driver’s license.”