Thread: Alaska: Legislator calls Real ID law an intrusion

Legislator calls Real ID law an intrusion
FEDERAL MANDATE: Alaska lawmaker cites privacy issues, wants state to withhold spending.

By WESLEY LOY


(02/15/08 00:27:06)
JUNEAU -- A state senator from Anchorage is pushing legislation that would have the state defy a federal mandate to issue so-called Real ID driver's licenses.

Sen. Bill Wielechowski, a Democrat, said in a committee hearing Thursday the cards would effectively turn a state driver's license into a national identification card that would intrude on privacy, allow the federal government to track people's movements and block travel for Alaskans who don't have the card.

"It is the beginning of a surveillance society," he said.

His one-page Senate Bill 202 would bar state officials from spending any money to implement the Real ID Act of 2005, which Congress passed as a security measure in the aftermath of the 9/11 terror attacks.

The federal government has given states until the end of 2009 to start issuing the new cards, and people must have one within five to eight years after that date, depending on their age.

States must upgrade the security of their driver's license systems to ensure illegal aliens can't get a Real ID license.

People will need a new Real ID driver's license or identification card to fly on commercial airlines or to enter federal buildings and other facilities such as nuclear plants.

Wielechowski, an attorney, said numerous states, professional and civic organizations are rebelling against Real ID as an infringement on privacy and freedom and also because states will be forced to issue the new ID cards through local Division of Motor Vehicles offices.

Others including a representative of the American Civil Liberties Union of Alaska spoke in support of Wielechowski's bill. The ACLU says 17 state legislatures have passed anti-Real ID laws or resolutions, with seven states including Washington and Montana refusing to implement the federal act.

Other Juneau lawmakers gave mixed reviews to Wielechowski's bill, which will receive another hearing before the Senate State Affairs Committee on Tuesday.

Anchorage Republican Sen. Con Bunde, a retired university professor and commercial pilot, said he agrees the Real ID Act raises worries, but those need to be addressed on the federal level, not in Juneau.

While he said he doesn't want to erode individual rights, Bunde noted that "life changed after Sept. 11" and the country's security needs tightened.

"I hear a lot of fear mongering about it," he said of the new license.

Defying the federal law, he added, could end up hurting Alaskans because one way or another, they will need either a passport or the Real ID card to fly.

"The state saying 'I'll hold my breath until it goes away' isn't going to do much," Bunde said.

Kevin Brooks, deputy commissioner of the state Department of Administration, which runs DMV offices, said he agrees Real ID raises some privacy concerns. But he said the state already is meeting some of the federal law's worthwhile mandates, such as using digital photos for driver's licenses instead of easy-to-fake Polaroid pictures laminated under plastic.

Brooks told lawmakers his department has yet to calculate how much it'll cost the state to implement the Real ID Act, if the state chooses to comply.

According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, a major goal of Real ID is combating fraud. Real ID cards would have advanced security features and would require applicants to show verifiable proof of identity and U.S. citizenship or legal status. The law also would increase security standards for DMV workers.

http://www.adn.com/front/story/315722.html

I'm sick and tired of these state legislators defying laws that will protect us from illegal invaders and terrorists.

If they do not want to obey the law then get the hell out of office or we will have you removed from office. Since when does being a state legislator give you the right to disregard the law

I have decided as an American Citizen I now also want to pick and choose what laws I think are fair and worthy of obeying.

I as an American Citizen I should have rights equal to those of a state legislator (whom we elected into office) and or illegal invaders.

People will need a new Real ID driver's license or identification card to fly on commercial airlines or to enter federal buildings and other facilities such as nuclear plants.

This statement has appeared in numerous articles with the same exact wording each time and the choice of examples strikes me as odd.
"other facilities such as a nuclear plant"--why would an ordinary citizen enter a nuclear plant and isn't a high security clearance necessary?

[i]“I am concerned for the security of our great nation, not so much because of any threat from without, but because of the insidious forces working from within.â€