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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Committee says ‘no’ to standardized federal ID

BOISE – A House committee unanimously passed a North Idaho legislator’s resolution Wednesday prohibiting Idaho from implementing new federal driver’s license standards.

The joint resolution by Rep. Phil Hart, R-Athol, would also ask the state’s congressional delegation to advocate repealing the Real ID Act of 2005 – legislation requiring states to issue new IDs that opponents say severely threaten Americans’ personal privacy.

The act passed without a hearing and is a “backdoor approach” to making a national ID card, Hart said. Required by spring 2008, the new IDs would be tied to a national database and be needed to board airplanes and enter some federal buildings.

The resolution states that because “identity thieves are increasingly targeting motor vehicle departments, the REAL ID Act will enable the crime of identity theft by making the personal information of all Americans, including date of birth and signature, accessible from tens of thousands of locations.”

But Idaho is one of 17 states working on resolutions against the act, which would cost Idaho $39 million over five years in addition to raising constitutional issues, Hart said.

Some critics also say the changes violate states’ rights under the 10th Amendment and are simply unfeasible.

Issuing new IDs might drastically increase DMV use, and some people might not be able to meet requirements for new IDs, said Hannah Saona, a lobbyist for the American Civil Liberties Union of Idaho. The IDs would carry personal electronic data, and it would be “easy for private data to be snapped up” and put in a private database, she said.

“Real ID is a nightmare,” Saona said.

Karen McWilliams of the Idaho Community Action Network said her organization opposes Real ID because it would increase ID fees and pose hardships for certain populations, such as Latinos.