House OKs controversial license plan

WASHINGTON – Getting or renewing a driver’s license would take more time and effort under a security measure approved by the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday. The Senate is expected to pass a similar measure next week.

National standards for driver’s licenses will discourage illegal immigration and make it harder for terrorists to get documents to evade security, supporters of the bill said. Critics, including some state officials, said the new requirements would be burdensome and expensive, won’t enhance security and are a step toward a national ID card.

The license provision is part of a massive $82 billion special spending bill, with $75.9 billion going to the armed forces for Iraq, Afghanistan and other overseas missions. It passed the House 368-58.

The driver’s license requirements and other immigration-related measures drew criticism from immigration advocates and some state officials who said the provisions were included without hearings.

By attaching those provisions to a must-pass spending bill, House Republican leaders “are shoving these extreme measures down our throats,” said Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y.

She said it was an “underhanded attempt” toward establishing a national ID card by setting standards for licenses and requiring states to share data.

Applicants for licenses would have to show proof of citizenship or legal residency, document a home address and provide a photo ID. State motor vehicle departments would have to verify the documents using federal databases, which could end same-day renewals, officials said.

States would have three years to comply with these requirements.

Proponents of the bill, led by Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., chairman of the Judiciary Committee, said the tighter requirements, dubbed “Real ID,” were a common-sense security measure worth any inconvenience or extra cost.

Sensenbrenner pointed out that several hijackers in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks easily obtained driver’s licenses, even after they overstayed their visas, which they used to get through airport security.

State officials are wary of the cost. State and federal officials were working on driver’s license standards, but that effort was preempted by the bill passed Thursday, said the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators.