Posted on 12/30/2015 12:20:53 AM PST by afraidfortherepublic
Millions of air travelers across the U.S. are potentially at risk of finding themselves grounded in the new year thanks to a post-9/11 law that took a decade to finally come into effect.
The REAL ID Act, originally passed in 2005, was meant to tighten standards for government-issued IDs like driver's licenses -- to boot, it banned federal agencies from accepting any IDs that don't meet the bar.
That means the TSA technically shouldn't accept driver's licenses from certain states, once the law is in full effect. While Washington let the rules slide for years, the Department of Homeland Security could start to enforce them in 2016 and is pushing states to comply.
And that has the potential to cause confusion, not to mention headaches at the airport -- as many states are still not in full compliance, and different states are operating on different timetables.
Here's what to expect in the months ahead:
DHS is enforcing the legislation in stages. Currently, it is only requiring the enhanced IDs for access to federal facilities. Some states have extensions, but those are set to expire next year -- in January, June and October, depending on the state.
The bigger controversy is over what comes next. As early as 2016, DHS is expected to start enforcing the ID requirements for air travel. That means anyone from states flouting the ID rules would not be able to use their driver's licenses to board a plane, and would have to use a passport or other accepted form of ID instead.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
It looks like Wisconsin is largely in compliance, but a lot of states are not. How do you get a gold star?
FReep Mail me if you want on, ir off, this Wisconsin interest ping list.
Yet illegal freaking alien invaders can get almost every benefit under the sun and in most states a valid drivers license is not required to vote.
Wake me up when this bad dream is over
Better to invalidate state driver’s licenses than allow them to put non-citizens and terrorists on planes. The states that have not upgraded their state identification have no excuse for not doing so—except that they are waiting for the feds to pay for it.
Keeping the government boot on our throats reminds us who the real boss is.
Under Obama, illegals and muslim agents of Islamic conquest have freedoms Americans are no longer allowed.
Hey congress passed the real I’d act....states complied if they wanted. California is one state that did not. Ah well guess you have to get a passport to fly
I got mine by bringing my passport with me when I got my license renewed.
The idiocy of illegals being given drivers licenses has made this necessary, and I’m for it.
Regime-approved ID cards for American citizens, but no ID required for illegals to vote.
Welcome to Acirema, where the guilty are rewarded and the innocent are punished.
It was the GOP that pushed this.
GOPer James Sensenbrenner would attach the Real ID Act to the defense supplemental spending bill in 2005(must pass to fund Iraq and Afghanistan).
Bush needed Real ID to implement the reform and expansion of work visas that were part of immigration reform but by 2007 opposition to Real ID had organized so when the immigration reform bill of 2007 failed, Bush and then DHS secretary Chertoff would announce the "delay" in implementing Real ID.
As Steyn pointed out yesterday, the IRS is going to confiscate passports for unpaid taxes and, in some states, you won’t be able to travel internally without a passport.
“Papers, please.”
I’m probably in the minority here, but I’ve never understood why we need an ID to get on an airplane. It was not required until suddenly in 1996, they started asking for an ID at the airport.
And what good is the Real ID act, when there are some some states which give drivers licenses to illegal aliens? How the heck is that states drivers license any sort of verification that this person is an American citizen, and how does that show that the state has tightened standards for issuing ID? Clearly they have instead loosened standards if known illegals can get a drivers license anyway.
And what of foreign visitors and travelers? I assume that Mohammed Atta and his boys used their foreign passports as their ID.
Has the Real ID act really achieved the goal of making sure a government issued ID in this country is valid and goes only to an American citizen????
I live in CT and got mine too. It takes a few minutes longer to get ready for your renewal because you have to bring passport or birth certificate, plus I think I had to bring a bill in my name with address to show proof of residency.
Looks like I’m going to need my passport for any business travel next year.
That sounds right—I believe I had to bring a current bill, too. (Though my understanding such are regularly forged by illegals.)
Has the Real ID act really achieved the goal of making sure a government issued ID in this country is valid and goes only to an American citizen????
Obviously NO. Is this failure a fault of the Real ID Act (i.e., did Congress fail to include effective language and means to enforce the law?), or of Presidential failure to enforce the law? (The same way Obama omits to enforce Immigration laws). The Feds routinely find ways to force anything they want on States, through threatening to withhold federal $$$$. Odd that States openly flaunt Real ID, which involves interstate commerce that the Federal Government has Constitutional powers to regulate, with impunity.
What a perfect way to limit our freedom of movement and strip us of even MORE Liberties!
@#$%^&*!
Good Morning, BTW, LOL! :)
The main reason this was passed was so that folks couldn't do things like buy a round-trip ticket, and give/sell it to someone else, or buy a ticket using your frequent flier miles, and sell it to someone else. It's all about money. Safety and 'security' have nothing whatsoever to do with it. Of course the additional control it gives the ferals in DC is just icing on the cake as far as they are concerned.
DHS budget for 2016 is at least $65 billion from nothing in 2001....
They employ 215,000 people.
At least 72 employees at the Department of Homeland Security are listed on the U.S. terrorist watch list.
They have not stopped any terrorist. Not a one.
From DHS. I do not know what their budget really is..... Is it $119 billion?
The FY 2016 Budget for DHS is $64.9 billion in total budget authority, $51.9 billion in gross discretionary funding, $41.2 billion in net discretionary funding, and $4.0 billion in discretionary fees.
From what I read about the law, other states do not have to accept non compliant ID’s either. Thus if you have an id that is not Federally accepted, you may not be able to drive in certain other states that require the Federal standard ID (unless you have a Passport or other Federal ID), or get a new DL in that state if you move there without supporting documentation.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.