July 2nd, 2007
WV senate wants out of Real ID
There is a growing movement among the states to block the controversial federal Real ID Act , reports the (Charleston, WV) Daily Mail.
Some West Virginia lawmakers are hoping that their state will be the next to stand fast against the law, which requires states to create drivers’ licenses that carry digital fingerprints of the holder. Maine, Montana, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Washington have already passed laws that defy the Real ID Act.
The Real ID Act, designed by the 9/11 Commission, aims to thwart fraud, identify theft and terrorism but has been criticized by state lawmakers as being too too invasive of civil rights and too costly for states to pay for without federal help.
Sen. Clark Barnes, a Republican, has consulted with Maine legislators, and says that estimates that West Virginia would pay $65 million to meet the new federal requirements is a gross lowball guess. He believes West Virginias would actually be paying more than $200 million.
“I compared how they did their license applications and it sounded like we were doing things identically,” Barnes said. “So I would challenge the figures in our estimate.”
The federal government cannot force states to comply with the act, but residents of noncompliant states will be restricted from boarding airplanes and entering federal buildings if their driver’s licenses do not meet the national standards.
There is bipartisan support to resist the Real ID Act in the state Senate. The House, however, failed to pass two similar bills out of committee.
“It would be such a hardship, especially on elderly people,” said delegate Bonnie Brown, a Democrat, one of the lead sponsors of the House bill. “It’s just a nightmare right now.
“I don’t see how spending millions of dollars on this is going to prevent terrorism. And frankly, we don’t have the money.”
States have until May 2013 to implement Real ID.
