The States' ID War with Washington - May is the deadline! (Real ID Act)

[Breeze54]

The States' ID War with Washington

http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1724905,00.html

Friday, Mar. 21, 2008 By KAREN TUMULTY/WASHINGTON

Governors and state legislatures across the country are balking at a new federal requirement that they begin issuing more secure driver licenses and identification for their citizens, which require proof that they are legal residents of the country. If there is no resolution come May, people who live in states that are not in compliance may find that their state-issued driver licenses and ID cards are of no use when they need to board an airplane or enter a federal building. "We are not bluffing on this date of May 11," says Homeland Security Department spokeswoman Amy Kudwa.

At issue is the REAL ID Act, passed by Congress with almost no debate in 2005, requiring states to add costly new security features, including a harder-to-forge design and additional layers of identity verification, to driver licenses and other government-issued identification. One of the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, it aims to prevent terrorism and reduce the chances of counterfeiting. "The 9/11 hijackers obtained 30 different driver's licenses and IDs, and used 364 aliases," Homeland Security Director Michael Chertoff has noted. "For an extra $8 per license, REAL ID will give law enforcement and security officials a powerful advantage against falsified documents, and it will bring some peace of mind to citizens wanting to protect their identity from theft."

But it won't be that easy, practical or cheap, say the states. In South Carolina, for instance, Governor Mark Sanford warns it will mean residents will have to pay $60 for driver licenses that are good for eight years, rather than the $25 they are now paying for 10-year licenses. And they may find themselves standing in line for up to two hours to obtain those licenses, rather than the 15-minute waits they now experience. So outraged are the states that legislatures in South Carolina, Maine, Montana, New Hampshire, Oklahoma and Washington have passed laws banning their agencies from complying with the act, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures; Idaho thumbed its nose at the law by appropriating $0 for its implementation this year.

The four states that are objecting the most, however, are South Carolina, Montana, New Hampshire and Maine. The four have thus far ignored a March 31 deadline to seek an extension that would technically put them in compliance with the law for up to two years. If they fail to meet the deadline, that means starting May 11 their citizens would not be allowed to use identification from those states to board aircraft or enter government buildings. If they lack any other acceptable ID, they would be subjected to additional security screening that would make travel an extra hassle.

The chief issue, states say, is the estimated $4 billion cost of the law over the next 10 years, which comes at a time when state budgets are already stressed to the breaking point.....

More....

Click the Link to Learn More About Your State and About Real ID
http://www.realnightmare.org/

[Breeze54]

1. State Information on Real ID - Interactive Map

http://www.realnightmare.org/states/

Massachusetts
http://www.realnightmare.org/states/47/

"Mass Officials Fight Real ID Act," Worcester Telegram, May 6, 2007.

Online > http://www.telegram.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070506/NEWS/705060682/1116

[orleans]

2. k&r (what a "real" piece of shit this thing is.) n/t

[Breeze54]

3. It's Big Brother Alive and Well! (no bank accts.?, easily tracking you...)

And I remember someone posting about how these ID's can be easily hacked and there will be ALL your personal info, at their disposal. Not to mention how much it will cost and what more WILL be added to your personal files, like health info., financial info., private info. This must be stopped! And what about people who don't have licenses and/or birth certificates? It's a real mess coming soon, imho.