Thread: Maine governor signs law to stop IAs obtaining state IDs

Maine governor signs law to stop illegal aliens from obtaining state IDs

Maine Gov. John Baldacci [official website] signed a bill into law late Thursday that would require an applicant to show proof of US residency before being issued a state driver’s license or ID card [JURIST news archive]. Forty-three other states already require proof of legal US residency to get a driver’s license. The new law brings Maine closer to compliance with the REAL ID Act of 2005 [PDF text; JURIST news archive].

Initially drafted after the Sept.11, 2001 attacks and designed to discourage illegal immigration, the REAL ID Act attempts to make it more difficult for terrorists to fraudulently obtain US driver’s licenses and other government IDs by mandating that states require birth certificates or similar documentation and also consult national immigration databases before issuing IDs. After controversy and strenuous opposition from civil libertarians [FindLaw commentary], it finally passed in 2005 [JURIST report] as part of an emergency supplemental appropriations defense spending bill. State lawmakers had previously expressed concern [JURIST report] about possible problems expected to accompany the implementation of the REAL ID Act, fearing that they would not be able to comply with the law’s requirements before the May 2008 deadline. In March, Homeland Security responded to these concerns by extending the deadline for compliance by 18 months [JURIST report]. In January, the Department of Homeland Security issued a final rule [text; DHS backgrounder] establishing the new minimum standards [press release; JURIST report] for state-issued identification cards. AP has more.
http://www.wikio.com/politics/governmen ... d=53667831
http://oneoldvet.com/?p=5991

Maine governor signs bill tightening drivers license rules

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: April 18, 2008
Filed at 2:31 p.m. ET

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) -- Gov. John Baldacci signed into law a bill to tighten standards for getting a Maine driver's license, acknowledging that the measures were a tough issue for lawmakers.

Under pressure for the federal government, Baldacci wasted little time before signing the bill Thursday night after the Senate approved it by a 19-15 vote despite criticism from civil libertarians.

With the bill's enactment, Maine joins 44 other states, including the rest of New England, in making proof of legal U.S. residency a requirement for getting a driver's license, the governor said. Previously, the state did not require any proof of residency in the state, legal or otherwise.

The federal Department of Homeland Security has been pressing to bring states into compliance with the Real ID Act of 2005.

But the Maine legislature last year overwhelmingly passed a law barring compliance with the federal Real ID. Critics argued that it would unfairly single out immigrants while eroding everyone's privacy rights.

The governor said the new measure helps ensure residents won't be put through extra security screening when they board airplanes or go to federal buildings.

But he said it doesn't contain all of the controversial requirements of the federal Real ID program, including a requirement that the state share its driver's license information with a federal database.

''This was a difficult issue for many people in the Legislature,'' Baldacci said in a statement. ''But we have done the right thing. The laws regarding Maine's driver's licenses have been too lax.''

After winning barely enough votes in the House on Wednesday to pass, the bill gained momentum when lawmakers stripped away a provision that called for 50 percent increases in driver's license fees to pay for the licensing changes.

''They made a bad bill better, but not good enough,'' said Shenna Bellows, executive director of the Maine Civil Liberties Union, which lobbied hard against passage.

Among other things, the measure requires that a Maine driver's license issued to someone holding a visa must expire on the same day as the visa does.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-S ... ref=slogin

Related earlier tread

http://www.alipac.us/ftopic-112291-0.html