Bill barring state from new U.S. ID plan gets initial OK
31 commentsby Mary Jo Pitzl - May. 2, 2008 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic
The prospect of a more secure form of identification, known as Real ID, is facing a real threat of extinction in Arizona.

The state Senate, on a voice vote, gave preliminary approval to a bill that would bar the state from taking part in the federally mandated Real ID program.

The program would create a uniform standard for drivers' licenses and personal-identification cards, including proof of U.S. citizenship or legal status.
Senators rejected a proposal from state Sen. Debbie McCune Davis, D-Phoenix, to make Arizona's entrance into the program contingent on getting federal funding to do so.

That would save the cash-strapped state the burden of complying with an unfunded federal mandate, she said.

But other lawmakers said Real ID is a bad idea, whether the state gets money to make it happen or not.

Sen. Karen Johnson, R-Mesa, called the federal program a "terrible idea" that would not make the country any safer.

Real ID was proposed in the wake of the 9/11 attacks as a way to safeguard against identity theft. It has been both praised and criticized as a big step down the road to a national ID card.

In Arizona, House Bill 2677 seeks to prohibit the state from putting Real ID into effect. It passed the House in March on a 51-8 vote. A formal Senate vote could come as early as next week.

Although initially scheduled to take effect in nine days, the federal government has delayed implementation of the controversial program through the end of next year.

Arizona got its extension after Gov. Janet Napolitano last year agreed to participate in a 3-in-1 ID program that would give users one document that would serve triple duty as a driver's license, a way to prove legal status for purposes of complying with the state's employer-sanctions law and for crossing the Mexican border back into Arizona.

"We have an extension in spite of the fact that we never asked for it," said Jeanine L'Ecuyer, the governor's spokeswoman.

Although the extension lasts until Dec. 31, 2009, in October 2009 the state can request a further extension to May 2011.

The 3-in-1 program has also drawn the ire of many lawmakers, who see it not only as a privacy intrusion, but a violation of the separation of powers between the executive and legislative branches.

A bill that would create such a document never got an initial hearing.

Reach the reporter at maryjo .pitzl@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8963.

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