W.Va. lining up against REAL ID
The West Virginia State Senate is considering a bill that may put the state at odds with the Department of Homeland Security and the federal REAL ID Act, the Associated Press reports. Under REAL ID, the federal government would require national standards for state driver’s licenses. The impact on West Virginia travelers? They may need to use other forms of identification (birth certificates or passports) to board an airplane. According to the report, “The bill, which now comes before the full Senate, calls the act “inimical to the security and well-being of the people of West Virginia,” with supporters saying Monday the federal guidelines amount to an invasion of privacy.” The article points out that 17 states have passed legislation or resolutions objecting to the REAL ID Act’s provisions, many due to concerns it will cost them too much to comply. The 17 are Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Maine, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Washington. States agreeing to the program would have until Jan. 1, 2010 to begin issuing driver’s licenses made under the new rules, with a final date of May 2017 to issue the new licenses to all their drivers.
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[...] Homeland Security officials on Monday again prodded states to adopt standards for driver’s licenses as described by the federal Real ID Act. Four states — Maine, Montana, New Hampshire and South Carolina — have yet to seek an extension. States have until the end of the month to seek an extension, or their residents will not be able to board domestic flights using a driver’s license come May, reports the Associated Press. According to the report, officials in Maine and Montana said they would not seek an extension. A spokesman for South Carolina’s governor said he was still considering it. New Hampshire passed a law last year prohibiting the state from participating in the Real ID program. Last week, the legislature in West Virginia also contested Real ID. [...]