Real ID

WASHINGTON - June 16 – Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) is again part of an effort to fix problems in the REAL ID Act of 2005 that have led many states to balk at participating in what critics say is a thinly disguised national ID program built around a national database that would be vulnerable to identity theft.

Leahy is a leading cosponsor of a new bipartisan bill introduced in the Senate on June 15 by Senator Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii). Senator George Voinovich (R-Ohio) is the chief Republican cosponsor. The new bill would implement the 9/11 Commission’s recommendations to enhance the security of driver’s licenses while fixing many of the most troubling aspects of the REAL ID Act of 2005.    » read more »

Governor Baldacci Will Submit Legislation to Place New Restrictions on Driver’s Licenses and State Credentials

April 2, 2008 -- AUGUSTA – Maine Governor John E. Baldacci learned today from the Department of Homeland Security that Maine has been granted an extension to the May 11, 2008, implementation deadline for the REAL ID Act of 2005.

Earlier today, Governor Baldacci responded to a March 31 letter from DHS that asked Maine to take certain steps to improve the security of its driver’s license before an extension would be granted. In his letter to DHS, Governor Baldacci agreed to all the requirements.    » read more »

March 27, 2008 -- CONCORD - New Hampshire Governor John Lynch today received a letter from U.S. Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Stewart Baker PDF Doc icon stating the federal government has agreed to postpone imposing Real ID requirements on New Hampshire citizens.

Gov. Lynch sent a letter to Homeland Security officials PDF Doc icon last month requesting that the Department not impose Real ID requirements on the citizens of New Hampshire.    » read more »

January 11, 2008 -- “The Bush administration’s REAL ID program will not only lead to long lines at every DMV across the country, it will impose a massive unfunded mandate on state governments while offering absolutely no federal privacy protections to our citizens.    » read more »

Washington, DC (7/26/2007) - The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) today applauded the failure of an amendment offered to the Department of Homeland Security appropriations bill that would have authorized $300 million of federal funding for states to implement the Real ID driver’s license program, which has been estimated by DHS to cost $23.1 billion. The ACLU deemed the proposal "sucker money" because it aimed to entice states to accept a paltry amount of funding for a flawed program that would ultimately cost millions more in state taxes and licensing fees.    » read more »

Senators' Measure To Get Rid Of REAL ID Stalls Sweeping Immigration Bill

June 27, 2007 -- (WASHINGTON, D.C.) – Montana Senators Max Baucus and Jon Tester brought the debate over immigration reform to a grinding halt today on the Senate floor. After opponents of Baucus and Tester’s amendment to strike REAL ID requirements failed to muster a majority of votes, debate on the controversial immigration bill came to a standstill.    » read more »

June 27, 2007 -- CONCORD - New Hampshire Governor Lynch today signed into law legislation prohibiting New Hampshire from participating in the federal Real ID system.

“Real ID is intended to make us all safer, which I think we can all agree is a laudable goal. However, I strongly believe Real ID’s proposed haphazard implementation and onerous provisions would have the exact opposite effect. The federal government obviously did not think this burdensome system through and that is why we in New Hampshire are right to reject it,” Gov. Lynch said.    » read more »