Real ID deadline pushed back to 2009

WASHINGTON – Under siege from states and angry lawmakers, the White House on Thursday moved back a deadline to implement national driver’s license standards that critics say would undermine personal privacy and burden states with a hefty bill.

The announcement that states could have an extra 20 months, until the end of 2009, to meet the requirements of the Real ID Act did little to ease criticism of the law from conservative activists, privacy advocates, motor vehicle departments and lawmakers. Almost two dozen states are weighing legislation to oppose Real ID, with some governors dismissing it as a “nightmare.”

The resistance to a policy the administration describes as an essential weapon in the war on terrorism reflects a shift from the almost total support the administration initially enjoyed for its national security agenda after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

“In the months after Sept. 11, we adopted a ‘do anything, do everything’ mode,” said Jim Harper, a public policy expert at the libertarian Cato Institute who advises the Department of Homeland Security and opposes the Real ID Act. “Here with five-plus years behind us, now it’s time to look at what does work and what doesn’t and lift the veil of secrecy.”

Delayed implementation would not resolve the serious privacy and security concerns that Real ID raises, said Tim Sparapani, legislative counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union. “Essentially, we’ve just kicked the can down the road another two years,” he said.

The 2005 law requires new tamper-proof security features on licenses issued only to people who can prove citizenship or legal status; their personal data would be kept in a database network that would be accessible by motor vehicle departments nationwide. All Americans would be required to renew their licenses by 2013. Those without one would be barred from federal buildings or airplanes unless they could show a passport or another form of federally approved identification with a photo.

The National Conference of State Legislatures and the National Governors Association have estimated the cost of the program at $11 billion, while the Department of Homeland Security puts it at $14.6 billion.

“It’s going to cost money because security does cost money,” Chertoff said. He announced that states could use up to 20 percent of their homeland security grants to pay for Real ID compliance. Congress has appropriated $40 million to help states implement Real ID, but only $6 million has been set aside, and President Bush’s budget proposal for 2008 did not include any funds to help states.