States Challenge Nat'l Driver's License

[Star Man]

States Challenge Nat'l Driver's License
Sunday, February 4, 2007
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WASHINGTON (AP) -- A revolt against a national driver's license, begun in Maine last month, is quickly spreading to other states.

The Maine Legislature on Jan. 26 overwhelmingly passed a resolution objecting to the Real ID Act of 2005. The federal law sets a national standard for driver's licenses and requires states to link their record-keeping systems to national databases.

Within a week of Maine's action, lawmakers in Georgia, Wyoming, Montana, New Mexico, Vermont and Washington state also balked at Real ID. They are expected soon to pass laws or adopt resolutions declining to participate in the federal identification network.

"It's the whole privacy thing," said Matt Sundeen, a transportation analyst for the National Conference of State Legislatures. "A lot of legislators are concerned about privacy issues and the cost. It's an estimated $11 billion implementation cost."

The law's supporters say it is needed to prevent terrorists and illegal immigrants from getting fake identification cards.

States will have to comply by May 2008. If they do not, driver's licenses that fall short of Real ID's standards cannot be used to board an airplane or enter a federal building or open some bank accounts.

About a dozen states have active legislation against Real ID, including Arizona, Georgia, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Utah and Wyoming.

Missouri state Rep. James Guest, a Republican, formed a coalition of lawmakers from 34 states to file bills that oppose or protest Real ID.

"This is almost a frontal assault on the freedoms of America when they require us to carry a national ID to monitor where we are," Guest said in an interview Saturday. "That's going too far."

Guest a resolution last week opposing Real ID and said he expects it quickly to pass the Legislature. "This does nothing to stop terrorism," he said. "Don't burden the American people with this requirement to carry this ID."

Though most states oppose the law, some such as Indiana and Maryland are looking to comply with Real ID, Sundeen said.

The issue may be moot for states if Congress takes action.

Republican Sen. John Sununu of New Hampshire, along with Democratic Sen. Daniel Akaka of Hawaii, filed a bill last year to repeal the law. Sununu expects similar legislation will be introduced soon.

"The federal government should not be in charge of defining and issuing drivers' licenses," Sununu said in a statement.

Privacy advocates say a national driver's license will promote identity theft.

Barry Steinhardt, a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union, said the Real ID ordered by Congress would require a digital photo and probably a fingerprint on each driver's license or state-issued ID card. That, he said, will make it more valuable to identity thieves because the ID card will be accepted as much more than a driving credential.

"It's going to be a honey pot out there that's going to be irresistible to identity thieves," Steinhardt said.

An identity thief, he said, could buy a Real ID from a rogue motor vehicle department employee with is own photo and fingerprint on it.

"The victim is never going to be able to undo this," Steinhardt said.

Other criticisms include:

_Some states will have to invest millions in new computer systems that can communicate with federal databases. That is something they probably will not accomplish by the deadline.

_It will be difficult to comply with the requirement that license applicants prove they are in the country legally. There are more than 100 different immigration statutes, Steinhardt said, which will pose problems for motor vehicle clerks unfamiliar with immigration law.

_It does not solve the problem of terrorism. Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh and some of the hijackers from the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, had legitimate driver's licenses.

_Even the requirement that applicants' full legal names appear on licenses will pose problems because some states limit the number of characters on the face of the card.

___
On the Net:
http://www.ncsl.org/standcomm/sctran...dsummary05.htm


Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All right reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed

[Jackalope]

At a minimum, every state-issued ID should indicate a person's immigration status (citizen or permanent legal resident, no ID for illegals), and of course a person should have to prove that status in order to get the ID.

[Pedro56]

Here is the thing though, in Europe and Asia I have never seen any different licenses. It has what state/county you are from on it but they all look the same so why the big hassle here?

[Standard Dave]

Here is the thing though, in Europe and Asia I have never seen any different licenses. It has what state/county you are from on it but they all look the same so why the big hassle here?

A lot of European licences look similar and the European union tells them to display the same information in the same orders but the information isn't shared between different countries so I can't check if a foreign licence is valid without phoning the Police or licencing body in another european state.

The Australian and New Zealand licences are similar in look and layout but again still international enquries to check it's validity.

[dadyswat]

The hassel is all the information the Federal Government would have on you. Don't need gun registration have to show the id to buy one, want to get on a plane show your ID and we know where you are, get a credit card or bank account, show your ID and we can track your finances. The list could go on and on. This isn't a drivers license its a national ID Card that could/would be tracked by the government.

[Pedro56]

You don't think they are doing that now? What the hell is a Social Security number? Its a damn financial, assets owned, tracking number. It's no different.

[adroitcuffs]

OMG, you mean the government might actually know who I am and where I am?!?!?!? Goodness gracious, one day the government might identify me with some relatively random 9-digit number and expect me to pay some sort of taxes...

Get real, folks. The feds know who I am and where I am. When I board a flight, they know where I'm going and how long I expect to be there. I have a passport - they know when I leave the country. They know I have a bank account and that I own a house and a car. Speaking as someone who's worked patrol in resort/destination areas, having some level of consistency in identification cards would be helpful. Many of my peers wouldn't recognize a fake out-of-state license if they saw it. ID theft is an issue, regardless of the type of card developed. The national ID card debate certainly didn't prevent a 29-year-old sex offender from registering as a student at a middle school ( http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16960418...week/?GT1=9033 ).
I'd appreciate a national driver's license or I.D. card.

[Norm357]

National ID= bad.

[Pedro56]

But there all ready is one, the Social Security Number. What is the difference? It is a national drivers license think of how much easier our jobs would be. I couldn't tell a Real Idaho license from a fake one. Can you guys, without google or without a manual tell me what an Illinois License or State ID look like?

[dadyswat]

The point being, all the information can be consolidated into one database that they could flag for any behavior they want to monitor. At least now they have to do some looking.

[Pedro56]

Everything is flagged, buy 2 or more guns anywhere in the US, Flagged by the ATF, buy a plane ticket one way with cash, flagged by Homeland Security, deposit over 10K in cash flagged by the IRS, get over 2 moving violations in any state flagged by your own secretary of state and insurance company, shall I keep going? We are flagged for almost everything we do now as it is. So how is a national ID going to change anything? I mean truly I would like a really good explanation, one that is just not "Ohh big brother this and big brother that." Because as most of you out there know big brother has been around for a long time and he isn't going anywhere.

[Star Man]

But with all the "Big Brother" it has to stop somewhere. If it doesn't we can be looking at a situation where it becomes less of a democracy as the rights get eroded away. No the ID is not a big deal, but I say no, because "If you give and inch they take a mile".

[Norm357]

Because we are Citizens, not subjects.

National ID= bad.

[Pedro56]

Ok, neither one of you have validated the point. With the SSN, the DL. the State ID, your Work ID, your Credit Cards, why fight another id? There is a program at work that I put in a subjects ssn and I can get everything, how much he has in the bank, how many loans he has out, his credit rating, his cars owned, his last 5 addresses, his parents address, his wifes address, his wifes stuff his relatives addresses and all the same stuff on them from one I REPEAT 1 9 digit number. So Please explain to me how a national ID would be any different than a social security number?????????

[Lazy Fed]

I am watching all of you

[Pedro56]

I am watching all of you

I hope you aren't right now. I don't need a horny mexican knockin on my door.

[Norm357]

I hope you aren't right now. I don't need a horny mexican knockin on my door.

fscf3801 is a Mexican?

There is a program at work that I put in a subjects ssn and I can get everything, how much he has in the bank, how many loans he has out, his credit rating, his cars owned, his last 5 addresses, his parents address, his wifes address, his wifes stuff his relatives addresses and all the same stuff on them from one I REPEAT 1 9 digit number.

Really? It is a violation of Federal law to use someones SS number as an ID number.

One of my biggest joys is refusing to give a firearms dealer my SS# and watch him have a fit trying to convince me it is the law.

[CT209]

I am watching all of you

Pervert!

[DirtRoadDeputy]

I hope that I don't have to get another driver's license. My Ga license doesn't expire until 2039.

[Piggybank Cop]

States rights; didn’t we have a discussion about this once, already; 1865.