Thread: Controversial 'enhanced' driver's license bill set for Ohio House committee vote

Controversial 'enhanced' driver's license bill set for Ohio House committee vote


A driver holds up a new radio frequency enhanced U.S. border crossing card as she crosses the U.S.-Mexico border at the San Ysidro Port of Entry in San Diego. An Ohio House panel is set to vote Tuesday on a bill that would make Ohio the fifth state to issue the enhanced licenses, which use the radio technology. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)

By Jeremy Pelzer, Northeast Ohio Media Group
May 19, 2014 at 10:40 AM, updated May 19, 2014 at 11:03 AM

COLUMBUS, Ohio—A contentious proposal to allow Ohio to issue “enhanced” driver’s licenses and identification cards is set for a legislative committee vote on Tuesday.

Supporters say the enhanced licenses, which include a radio chip and barcode, would allow truckers and tourists to quickly cross into Canada and Mexico without needing a passport or other paperwork.

Some civil liberties advocates, however, worry that the government and criminals could exploit the licenses to track people and access their personal data.

The Ohio House Transportation, Public Safety, and Homeland Security Committee previously scheduled a vote on the legislation last month. However, that vote was delayed as Bureau of Motor Vehicles deputy registrars pushed for an amendment -- which will be considered on Tuesday -- allowing them to charge a higher fee for the enhanced licenses.

The enhanced licenses would each cost about $50 -- about twice the price of a regular driver’s license -- and would contain a Radio Frequency Identification chip that allows customs officials at most crossings to access drivers’ personal data and verify their citizenship even when their vehicle is as far as 30 feet away, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Would you get an enhanced driver's license? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Earlier this year, Minnesota became the fifth state to offer enhanced driver's licenses.

State Rep. Rex Damschroder, the Fremont Republican sponsoring the bill, said motorists with such a license wouldn't have to get both a driver's license and a passport to travel to Canada, saving them time and money. He noted that enhanced licenses would only be offered on a voluntary basis.

But Gary Daniels of the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio has said that the radio chip could serve another purpose: to allow government to track drivers’ locations. Identity thieves would also have little trouble scanning the radio chips to steal personal data, he said.

http://www.cleveland.com/open/index....d_drivers.html


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Other states that issue enhanced licenses and ID cards are New York, Vermont, Michigan and Washington.

Minnesota becomes fifth state to offer enhanced driver's licenses and ID cards

Posted by: Tim Harlow Updated: February 10, 2014 - 11:33 AM

http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle...244738141.html