February 11, 2005

Getting your next driver's license or state identity card could be more difficult and time-consuming if legislation scheduled for a vote in the U.S. House today becomes law.

Under the bill, known as the Real ID Act, states must see proof of an applicant's citizenship or legal U.S. status before issuing a license or ID card, and note that status clearly on each card.

While states would technically still be allowed to issue driver's licenses to illegal immigrants, licenses from those states would not be valid for boarding planes, opening a bank account or entering federal buildings.

The bill also would require states to limit the term of a driver's license issued to a foreign visitor to no longer than the length of the person's U.S. visa. States would have three years to comply with the regulations.

If passed by the House, as expected, the bill would go to the Senate for approval. President Bush announced his support for the measure Wednesday.

Sponsors of the legislation say the proposal is a step toward ensuring the terrorist acts of Sept. 11 are not repeated. They said the 19 terrorists that day had more than 60 pieces of identification, including state-issued ID cards and driver's licenses.

"These reforms are extremely necessary to help us better protect our identity documents and to secure our borders," said former Michigan Secretary of State and current U.S. Rep. Candice Miller, R-Macomb County. "No longer will we allow terrorists free access to state identity documents."

Foes of the bill say it imposes administrative and financial burdens on states at a time when they are least able to handle them. They also believe it unfairly targets illegal immigrants.

Members of the Grand Rapids branch of the Michigan Organizing Project, a minority-rights group, call the legislation potentially devastating.

Gonzalo Verduzco, a 20-year-old member of the Grand Rapids association, said the bill misses the mark.

"Terrorists can get in this county no matter what," he said. "Taking away eight to 10 million people's drivers licenses is not going to have an effect on anything except people who are trying to work and support themselves and their family."

Another side effect could be more illegal drivers, resulting in unsafe roads and higher insurance rates, Verduzco said.

"People need to drive to live in this world and work," he said. "It's going to make the streets a lot more dangerous for drivers because people are going to be driving around without passing tests and formal training."

Michigan now requires applicants to prove identity and residency to receive a state ID card or driver's license. For proof of identity, people can use a passport, another state's license, a military ID or a birth certificate. To prove residency, applicants may use a lease, electric bill or pay stub with the employer's address.

Under the bill, those same items could be used for both identity and residency, but they would have to be verified via computers or telephone calls to the source of the documents.

A 1995 Michigan Attorney General opinion states that a person's immigration status cannot be a factor in determining whether he or she qualifies for a driver's license.

The identity requirements are one piece of a controversial bill that would rework immigration policy for asylum-seekers, allow for the continued construction of a security fence on California's border with Mexico and make it easier for the government to deport individuals for terrorism-related offenses in other countries.

Jennifer Wood-Taylor, associate organizer of the Grand Rapids Michigan Organizing Project, said she's frustrated by Holland Republican and U.S. Rep. Peter Hoekstra's support of the bill, and the non-committal stance of U.S. Rep. Vern Ehlers, R-Grand Rapids.

Wood-Taylor said the provision targeting immigrants could further isolate a segment of an underserved population, a group that is contributing to society through work and taxes.

Secretary of State officials said they appreciate the effort to enhance driver's license security, but they're worried about the bill's largely unfunded mandates.

"There are many good ideas here," said Ken Silfven, a spokesman for Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land. "But things like document scanning, storage and verification all add up to big money.

"Michigan's concern, in addition to money and resources, is making sure this can all be done in a way that doesn't negatively affect our ability to provide excellent customer service."

The bill also establishes federal security standards for state office buildings where driver's license and related records are produced and stored, regulates training and security clearances for state personnel and sets federal data and document storage standards.

Michigan officials had no estimate on how much it would cost to implement the legislation or if it would require an increase in driver's license fees. The bill does create a grant program to help states offset the costs, but it doesn't assign a dollar amount for those grants.

Source : http://www.mlive.com