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WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, who represents the state that’s leading the rebellion against a national driver’s license, said Friday she will try to delay implementation of the program.
The Maine Republican announced she’ll introduce a bill next week to give states more time to comply with the Real ID Act as well as a say in modifying the rules.
The Maine Legislature was the first to oppose the Real ID Act. Critics said the program would cost Maine taxpayers $185 million in the first five years and invite identity theft.
“I am fully aware that the costs of complying with Real ID are enormous and overly burdensome to states, including Maine. I will be introducing this legislation so that we can pause and take a more measured approach to Real ID,” Collins said at a press conference after a Capitol Hill meeting with Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap.
States currently have until May 2008 to comply with the federal law that sets a national standard for driver’s licenses and requires states to link their record-keeping systems to national databases. Driver’s licenses that fall short of the Real ID Act’s standards cannot be used to board an airplane, among other things.
Maine lawmakers led a revolt last month in adopting a resolution in opposition to the Real ID Act of 2005. Since then, Arizona, Georgia, Wyoming, Montana, New Mexico, Vermont and Washington state have come out in opposition to the program.
About a dozen states have active legislation against Real ID, including Arizona, Georgia, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Utah and Wyoming.
Collins, the ranking Republican on the committee that oversees homeland security, said Friday that the 9-11 Commission Report pointed out shortcomings in the current system for issuing identification cards.
Seven of the Sept. 11, 2001, hijackers obtained driver’s licenses and ID cards by submitting sworn statements instead of proof of residency or identity. They used them as identity cards for purchasing airline tickets.
Despite the need for the ID cards, Collins said she understands that it’s unrealistic to think all states could meet the 2008 deadline.
Her bill would give the Department of Homeland Security the authority to delay or waive the requirements for Real ID compliance if states are having difficulty complying.
In addition, it would create a panel of federal officials, state officials, privacy advocates and other interested parties to review the proposed regulations and to suggest modifications. DHS would have to take these concerns into account, she said.
“We greatly appreciate [Collins’] recognizing that we cannot meet the 2008 deadline of Real ID,” said David Quam, director of federal relations for the National Governors Association.
State government costs for implementing the act are expected to total more than $100 million from 2005 to 2009, according to estimates from the Congressional Budget Office. Though one study, conducted in part by the Governors Association and the National Conference of State Legislatures, estimated an $11 billion cost nation-wide for the next five years.
“We need additional funding and more flexibility for states,” Quam said. “We’re glad Sen. Collins recognizes that.”
Carlene Olsen of the Boston University Washington News Service contributed to this report.
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