Alaska drivers' licenses may not be accepted at airport security checkpoints and elsewhere if the Real ID Act of 2005 goes into effect next year as expected.
As the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports, employees at the local Division of Motor Vehicles had been warning ID-seekers that Alaska air travelers would seen need to show passports. A DMV official told the paper that staffers have since been instructed to stop offering that advice – but it may be sound nonetheless.
The Real ID Act attempts to strengthen and standardize the state photo ID process across the country. The law requires states to use digital photographs and machine-readable technology such as magnetic strips or bar codes, and to verify birth certificates when issuing licenses.
The agency has granted numerous extensions to states slow to come on board with the new requirements, but in March, DHS Assistant Secretary for Policy David Heyman said his agency had “no plans to extend" the current January 15th deadline.
Real ID has proven quite unpopular, even for a federal mandate. As many as seven states have made little to no progress on Real ID Act compliance, including Alaska. Half of all state legislative bodies have formally come out against the law, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Most accuse the federal government of overstepping its bounds, and argue that the law is an unfunded mandate.
Earlier this year, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) predicted that DHS, in the face of such strong opposition, would simply "declare every state materially compliant based on their independent actions to improve security (even the states that have opted out)." And as another ACLU article pointed out, DHS has already watered down its implementation guidelines.
GIMBY | Blog | Real ID Act sows confusion, privacy concerns
No comments:
Post a Comment