By THELAW.TV
People in America's heartland are about to see some changes to
the process of getting a driver's license, and those changes are causing
controversy all over America.
On Jan. 15, Iowa will begin implementing the REAL ID Act, which the U.S. Congress passed in 2005
partly to combat terrorism in the wake of 9/11. REAL ID licenses and state
identification cards will look very similar to what people currently have, but
they will have a star in the upper-right hand corner that indicates to federal
officials such as TSA workers that your identity has been verified.
"The purpose of the REAL ID Act is to reduce the likelihood of
presenting false identification documents to gain access to terrorist rich
targets, like airlines, federal buildings, or nuclear power
plants," says attorney Martin Sweet of legal information
website THELAW.TV.
In order to obtain a REAL ID license or state identification
card, an applicant must provide several forms of documentation, including:
- Birth
certificate
- Social Security
number
- Proof of
residence and lawful presence in the U.S.
Although Congress passed the REAL ID program in 2005, the implementation of the full program has been delayed several
times due to state opposition. While some states, such
as North Carolina and Georgia, have supported the program, many states are
opposed. According to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), 25 states have
passed resolutions rejecting REAL ID and it is illegal to comply with the law
in 15 states.
The ACLU's web page on the REAL ID Act rejects the new card as a "national identity card,"
and claims the card will have several negative impacts, including:
- Costing U.S.
taxpayers billions of dollars to implement
- Creating longer
lines at driver's license bureaus
- Increasing
identity theft
- Allowing the
government to routinely track people
Other states have taken issue with the feasibility of providing the
required documentation in the wake of a natural disaster. Those documents could
be difficult for someone to provide after going through a hurricane or a
tornado. Some opponents say even a typo on a birth certificate could make it
difficult to obtain a REAL ID card.
However, supporters of the program point out that the required
documentation does not differ from what most states require to obtain a
driver's license. For example, Iowa has long required a birth certificate to
obtain a license.
The future of the REAL ID program is clearly in doubt. Some
critics say that it violates the
Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which leaves certain powers to the
states. As of now, the program is set to begin on Jan. 15, though, unlike Iowa,
many states will not be participating. (In Iowa, participation will be optional
at first.) Even if the program is fully implemented across America, the
earliest you could be required to have a REAL ID card is December 2014. By that
time, it is possible that you will need a REAL ID card to board an airplane or
enter a federal government building.
