Rebellion Growing as States Challenge a Federal Law to Standardize Driver’s Licenses

NY Times ^ | February 5, 2007 | ERIC LIPTON

[neverdem]

WASHINGTON, Feb. 4 — Opposition among state officials is turning into an open revolt against a federal law calling for the creation of standardized driver’s licenses nationwide that are meant to be less vulnerable to fraud.

Maine legislators started off the rebellion late last month by passing a nonbinding resolution that rejected the law, called the Real ID Act, which Congress passed in 2005. They said that it would cost the state $185 million to put into place and that instead of making Maine’s residents more secure, it would leave them more vulnerable to identity theft.

Since then, legislatures in five states — Georgia, Montana, New Mexico, Washington and Wyoming — have voted in committee or on the floor of one chamber to move similar legislation ahead. The bill adopted in a 99-to-1 vote by the Montana House of Representatives would go furthest, ordering state officials there to ignore the federal law.

Unless the federal law is revised, any state that defies it will risk causing major inconvenience for its residents, as noncompliant licenses will not be accepted as a proof of identification at airports, federal buildings or when applying for federal benefits.

What state officials are hoping is that Congress will repeal or modify the law, or at least provide some of the billions of dollars the states claim it will cost to establish the new licensing system nationwide.

The campaign features an odd mix of liberal Democrats, offended by a measure in the law that would effectively block illegal immigrants from getting federally compliant driver’s licenses, and conservative Republicans, who see the law as an affront to civil liberties and to states’ rights.

“This is a frontal assault on our freedoms,” said State Representative Jim Guest of Missouri, a Republican who said he was working with more than...

[ridesthemiles]

We could go to the tagging method the Gov has in mind for animals. It's suppose to be foolproof. /semi-sarc""

Not even close to funny.
Many of us have been fighting that since we heard about it. BTW- Those chips they want to put into your dog/cat/horse/cow DO have GPS tracking in them, just like ONSTAR in your car. They are completely lying about that at their "seminars" about NAIS.

[Valpal1]

Insurance companies are removing SS numbers off of cards because they have a burgeoning problem of insurance coverage theft. People are getting medical care with stolen ID's and the insurance companies are getting billed.

And it's their own dang fault for using SS numbers for account ID purposes.

[neverdem]

Thanks for the links.

[wolfcreek]

"Speaking of tagging animals....
St. Louis, MO – January 9, 2007 - Somark is proud to announce the successful testing of Biocompatible Chipless RFID1 Ink in cattle and laboratory rats. The test proved the efficacy of injecting and reading a Biocompatible Chipless RFID Ink “tattoo” within the skin of animals. The technology will be initially leveraged to the livestock industry to help identify/track cattle and thus mitigate export trade loss from BSE2 (a.k.a. Mad Cow Disease) scares.

Secondary target markets include laboratory animals, dogs & cats, prime cuts of meat, and military personnel. The company, which is currently raising a Series A equity financing, will license the technology to secondary target markets.

Ramos M. Mays, Chief Scientist, is excited with the results. “This is a true proof-of-principle and mitigates most of the technological risk. This proves the ability to create a synthetic biometric or fake fingerprint with Biocompatible Chipless RFID Ink and read it through hair.”


I wasn't trying to be funny only, sarcastic. I'd like to be at the Mar. 2nd rally "Don't Tag Texas " but, have prior arrangments. Hope a lot of people show up. These issues are paramount to Texans.

[samm1148]

"As with gun control, the only persons who will be affected by this matter are law abiding citizens."

Yep; you got that right. Gun control and this ID thing won't matter one wit to an illegal. Terrorists? You have got to be kidding; Our president said of the enemy: Islam is a religion of peace. Sort of like Nazis were only men who were trying to help poor crippled German Jewish ladies across the street. Give me a physical break! I'll be glad when this boomer trash starts dying off so adult men and not children can run this country again.