Real ID program postponed

LA Times | March 3, 2007

By Nicole Gaouette

Under siege from states and angry lawmakers, the White House moved back a deadline Thursday to implement national driver's license standards known as Real ID.

The announcement that states have an extra 20 months, until the end of 2009, to meet the requirements of the Real ID Act did little to ease criticism of the law from privacy advocates, motor vehicle departments and lawmakers. Almost two dozen states, including New Hampshire, are weighing legislation to oppose Real ID.

The resistance to a policy the administration calls an essential weapon in the war on terror reflects a shift from the almost total support the administration initially enjoyed for its national security agenda after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

"In the months after Sept. 11, we adopted a 'do anything, do everything' mode," said Jim Harper, a public policy expert at the libertarian Cato Institute who advises the Department of Homeland Security and opposes the act. "Here with five-plus years behind us, now it's time to look at what does work and what doesn't and lift the veil of secrecy."

Delayed implementation would not resolve the privacy and security concerns that Real ID raises, said Tim Sparapani, legislative counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union.

"Essentially, we've just kicked the can down the road another two years," he said.
The 2005 law requires new tamper-proof security features on licenses issued only to people who can prove citizenship or legal status; their personal data would be kept in a database that would be accessible by motor vehicle departments nationwide. All Americans would be required to renew their licenses by 2013. Those without one would be barred from federal buildings or airplanes unless they could show a passport or another form of federally approved identification with a photo.

The National Conference of State Legislatures and the National Governors Association were not happy with the program, noting that the federal government has not moved to offset the cost to states. They have estimated the cost at $11 billion, while the Department of Homeland Security puts it at $14.6 billion.

Last year, the federal government offered New Hampshire $3 million to test Real ID. An effort to oppose the program failed in the Legislature, but Rep. Neal Kurk, a Weare Republican and privacy advocate, is sponsoring another measure to defeat it this year.

Many states are concerned about longer lines, higher fees and fewer Department of Motor Vehicles centers, because they will have to meet stringent new security standards. Civil-rights advocates wonder about people who do not have birth certificates or other ID needed to get a Real ID license.

And privacy advocates worry about the linked databases, warning of the creation of a de facto national ID card and the increased possibility of identity theft without any added protection against fraud.

Sen. Lamar Alexander, a Tennessee Republican, was among a group of senators who said they would use the two-year delay to re-examine Real ID.

"It's not insignificant that there are privacy concerns," he said. "Big Brother government is a big problem."