31 March 2008
Sanford: State won't comply with REAL ID
Gov. Mark Sanford said today the state will not comply with the federal Department of Homeland Security's standards for state-issued driver's licenses and IDs. The decision means S.C. residents could be subjected to extra security screenings when boarding airplanes or entering federal buildings.


READ SANFORD'S LETTER(PDF) http://tinyurl.com/2rka22

The federal REAL ID program was instituted after 9/11 to make IDs fraud- and tamperproof. Sanford had until today to make a decision about whether to seek an exension to comply with REAL ID.

Sanford argued in a letter to Homeland Security that S.C.'s IDs are already more secure than most states and cover most of the standards outlined by Homeland Security, which require drivers to provide more documentation to be granted a license.


Sanford also cited the General Assembly's 2007 law that says the state will not comply with what lawmakers have said is a costly, unfunded federal mandate.

"I cannot autorize the implementation of REAL ID or onfrim our state's compliance with its requirements in the future," Sanford wrote in a letter to the Department of Homeland Security. "As you konw, South Carolina has enacted legislation that prevents the state from complying with REAL ID, and I am duty bound to comply with the laws of our state."

Sanford asked Homeland Security to spare S.C. citizens from additional security screenings. If the federal agency doesn't grant Sanford's request, it means S.C. travelers will be subject to additional security screenings starting in mid-May.

http://thestatecom.typepad.com/ygatoday ... ate-w.html