Support H.R.220 - Common Sense About Identity Theft & RE

JBS Action Alert: Support H.R.220 - Common Sense About Identity Theft and REAL ID
By JBS Staff
Published: 2008-05-16 18:36 Email this page | printer friendly version

House bill H.R.220, short-titled the "Identity Theft Prevention Act of 2007," was introduced on January 4, 2007 by (2008 presidential candidate) Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX). See: [cosponsors], [bill text], [CRS summary]. The bill purportedly would:

* reduce identity theft by prohibiting the use of a Social Security number for any purpose other than for specified Social Security and tax purposes;
* prohibit the federal government from establishing a national ID or uniform identifier system; and
* prevent federal agencies from using federal grants, contracts, or funding (the carrot and stick strategy) to compel or blackmail states into accepting uniform ID standards that would create a de facto national ID system.

Read: Rep. Ron Paul's speech introducing H.R.220

The federalizing of state driver's licenses through title II of the REAL ID Act of 2005 has met strong opposition from state governments and activists. Several congressional bills have been introduced that relate to the national ID controversy:

* H.R.1117 and S.717 would merely negotiate about national ID standards and implement who-knows-what, with huge new federal grants. REAL ID was foisted on America and should be ended, not amended.
* H.R.5405 would transform the Social Security card into a de facto national ID card. The Social Security number is already abused as a uniform identifier, but H.R.5405 would facilitate expanding such use and have privacy and security risks similar to that of a federalized RFID drivers license.
* H.R.220 would repeal the federal law that established a driver's license/national ID card and clamp down on both governmental and private sector abuse of Social Security numbers. We favor this bill.

Rep. Paul introduced similar legislation with the same bill number in the 109th Congress*, the 107th Congress*, and the 106th Congress*. (*Check who the cosponsors were.) Those bills died in the committee stage, never to receive an up or down vote by the House. Help bring the latest version of H.R.220 out of committee and to the House floor for a vote. Ask your congressman to cosponsor H.R.220 if he or she has not already done so. [cosponsors] The likelihood that a bill will be voted on increases in proportion to the number of cosponsors a bill has. It is a bonus if your representative is the chairmann, the ranking member, or even just a regular member of any of the following committees to which H.R.220 was referred:

* House Ways and Means Committee (41 members)
* House Ways and Means, Subcommittee on Social Security (13 members)
* House Oversight and Government Reform Committee (41 members)

The establishing of a national ID card has far-reaching ramifications, with the draconian potential that someday every citizen might be required to use a trackable national ID card in order maintain a livelihood or function in society. Furthermore, the REAL ID rebellion among the states over federal requirements to make state driver's licenses serve as a national ID card demands the fullest possible debate by Congress on the entire range of legislative options, including the plan of H.R.220. This bill should not be swept under the rug by a committee.


TAKE ACTION!


http://www.jbs.org/node/8068

On February 28, 2007, Senator Akaka (HI-D), along with Senators Sununu (NH-R), Leahy (VT-D) and Tester (MT-D), introduced S. 717, which would "repeal the Real ID Act and reinstitute the shared rulemaking and more reasonable guidelines established in the Intelligence Reform Act."

To read the full text of S. 717, click here.

To read Senator Collin's press release on the S. 717, click here.

http://www.ncsl.org/standcomm/sctran/Fe ... lation.htm

Real ID deadline delayed
By Eric Kelderman, Stateline.org Staff Writer


States can get an extra 19 months to begin beefing up security of their driver’s licenses, blunting a major complaint with the federal Real ID Act but still leaving states facing an estimated $14.6 billion in costs with little help from Washington, D.C.

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff announced Thursday (March 1) that states unable to meet the law’s May 11, 2008, deadline for revamping how they issue licenses and verify the citizenship of applicants can apply for a postponement.

The concession was enough to convince U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R) of Maine to drop legislation that sought to force a delay. But it removes only one of several problems that have led at least 20 state legislatures to consider bills protesting or threatening not to comply with the 2005 law, which was designed to keep driver’s licenses out of the hands of terrorists and illegal immigrants.

Congressional opponents said they were glad to have extra time to consider the impacts on civil liberties and lack of funding of Real ID, which sets uniform security features for driver’s licenses and requires states to verify the identity of all applicants. But they haven't ruled out repealing the law.

On the eve of the proposed rules, U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka (D) of Hawaii submitted a bill to reject the act. He called for hearings he said should have been held before Real ID was attached, bypassing debate, to a bill funding the war in Iraq and international aid after the Asian tsunami.

In announcing the long-awaited draft rules carrying out the law, Chertoff said states will be allowed to use 20 percent of their homeland security grant money to offset costs. Congress has appropriated only $40 million to assist states.

New figures from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) pegged the costs to states at $14.6 billion — more than the $11 billion state motor vehicle administrators estimated last year. In addition, the law will impose $7.9 billion in costs on individuals and $617 million on the federal government, according the homeland security figures.

Chertoff acknowledged that most of the burden of paying for Real ID would fall on states. But he defended the act, saying that improving driver’s license security was one of the "cardinal recommendations" of a bipartisan panel that investigated the 2001 terrorist attacks.

"Raising the security standards on driver's licenses establishes another layer of protection to prevent terrorists from obtaining and using fake documents to plan or carry out an attack. These standards correct glaring vulnerabilities exploited by some of the 9/11 hijackers who used fraudulently obtained driver’s licenses to board the airplanes in their attack against America," the secretary said at a news conference.

Chertoff underscored that the regulations were not meant to be prescriptive, but must include a person's full legal name, date of birth and a digital photograph, among other things. Motor vehicle offices still will be required to authenticate a variety of official documents including birth certificates, passports, U.S. visas and social security cards. The draft rules also require states to verify two unofficial documents that show an applicant's street address -- which could include a bank or mortgage statement or even a utility bill – but leaves states to choose their own methods for this.

However, states would not be required to maintain a database of biometric information, such as scans of fingerprints or irises. A barcode required under the Real ID act is already used by 46 states, according to DHS.

If a state does not meet the law's standards, license-holders in that state will not be able to use their ID to board airplanes or enter federal buildings, among other things.

Chertoff also announced that state officials, who had been part of a shared rulemaking process to improve license security before the Real ID Act, will be invited to weigh in on the proposed regulations during the 60-day comment period before they are finalized.

Molly Ramsdell, a transportation analyst for the National Conference of State Legislatures said that if states delay when they begin implementing the law, they still will have to re-issue licenses to all of the nation’s 245 million drivers by May 2013. In effect, that shortens the time states have to fully comply and could increase their costs, she said. State officials are calling for a 10-year timeline to meet the law's requirements.

"[The Department of Homeland Security] had an opportunity in implementing the act to make it more affordable and workable. ... The choices they made have not made it more affordable," she said.

State lawmakers have railed at the costs and deadlines imposed on states and at the federal intrusion into what had been a state responsibility to license motorists. Critics also have argued that the imposition of uniform federal standards would result in a national identification card and that databases necessary to verify applicants’ identity would open the door to invasions of privacy and identify theft.

The Montana House voted overwhelmingly Jan. 30 to reject the Real ID Act and refuse to comply. On Jan. 25, both chambers of the Maine Legislature passed a non-binding resolution protesting the law and urging Congress to repeal it. Bills or resolutions protesting the law are pending in at least 19 other statehouses across the country.

“We're watching to make sure this doesn't become a big unfunded mandate," said U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander (R) a former governor of Tennessee, and co-sponsor of Collins' measure to delay the act.

In addition to the Akaka bill, U.S. Rep. Tom Allen (D) of Maine has submitted a bill repealing Real ID.

Related stories:

Congress sets new driver's license rules
States balk at license bill as it heads to U.S. Senate
Driver's licenses to face new federal standards
Driver's licenses now a tool for homeland security
States slow to give driver's licenses to illegal alien

Comment on this story in the space below by registering with Stateline.org, or e-mail your feedback to our Letters to the editor section at letters@stateline.org.

Contact Eric Kelderman at: ekelderman@stateline.org.

http://www.stateline.org/live/details/s ... tId=185438

The REAL ID Act would halt the issuance of driver's license to illegal immigrants. Currently there are a handful of states that issue licenses to illegals (some also issued them to terrorist). It seems I may be one of the few around here that supports the REAL ID Act. :?

It's a small price to pay for our national security and to stop those states that give driver's licenses to criminal aliens. Heck, the states that issue the licenses to illegals are probably the ones whinning the loudest!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MW

The REAL ID Act would halt the issuance of driver's license to illegal immigrants. Currently there are a handful of states that issue licenses to illegals (some also issued them to terrorist). It seems I may be one of the few around here that supports the REAL ID Act. :?

It's a small price to pay for our national security and to stop those states that give driver's licenses to criminal aliens. Heck, the states that issue the licenses to illegals are probably the ones whinning the loudest!

---

I respect your opinion, but-with all due respect-you couldn't be more off-base.

Let's look at this issue realistically.

A Congress that-with a few notable exceptions-was reluctant to enforce the immigration laws already on the books enact a piece of legislation that-with the signature of a man who is hostile to the very concept of immigration enforcement-becomes a precursor to a national I.D. card.

And the premise that this new identity card can't be forged by the same illegal immigrants, terrorists and generic identity fraud specialists who already plague us is so laughable that it doesn't even merit discussion.

Look, if the federal government wants to crack down on identity fraud they can start by tracing all those ITINs being used by people in this country illegally, and finding out where those millions upon millions of "visitors" to our fair country who've overstayed their visas currently reside.

Forget the biometric card.

Forget the relentless invasion of ordinary citizen's privacy-somehow the Supreme Court hasn't extended the enshrined principle of Constitutional "privacy" to LEGAL American citizens who don't want to abort their unborn children-just start by tracking down and expelling the people who are in this country illegally.

Period, dot!

To attempt to simplify the debate on both the Real ID & the Patriot Act.

It's all in the guts of the legislation.
The danger is in the magnitude of these pieces of garbage.
This is the reason why people should READ everything. It's a rude awakening to see how a seemingly 'good' piece of legislation can be used and turned against the American people's Freedom.


Thanx JP!
Hopefully, the dems will be useful idiots.

Good to see you, SHAPKA!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MW

The REAL ID Act would halt the issuance of driver's license to illegal immigrants. Currently there are a handful of states that issue licenses to illegals (some also issued them to terrorist). It seems I may be one of the few around here that supports the REAL ID Act. :?

It's a small price to pay for our national security and to stop those states that give driver's licenses to criminal aliens. Heck, the states that issue the licenses to illegals are probably the ones whinning the loudest!

---

Cattle and slaves are numbered and branded.

Here's the question: IF, as IS THE CASE, the government in states like California readily provides DLs to illegal aliens and IF, as IS THE CASE, the government is willing to accept as positive ID the inferior cards issued by foreign governments and consulates, then why on Earth would a biometric card solve anything?

If you cut your head in on the deal, you will realize that the only people who are tracked by legitimate ID are legitimate people - honest, hard-working, taxpaying citizens. Just as gun laws only keep guns out of the hands of the law-abiding, so do ID laws only firmly ID the law-abiding. Why would that be?

You have to get your head into the mindset of the would-be overlords. Think of an ID as an owner's brand. Do you even care whether rogue and stray livestock are branded? Nope, you worry about the good livestock that the drovers can keep in line and that will fetch you top dollar at market. Guys who work their 9 to 5 religiously and pay their taxes, repay their debts, and keep industry churning are the guys the owners want to keep track of. The criminals and rogues are just trouble. The owner doesn't care what happens to them or where they are so long as they don't unnecessarily upset the herd.

Again, the Greek word translated as "mark" in John's Revelation is charagma, which is a slave placard - an ID card. Take yours if you want, but I'll thank you to refrain from forcing the damned thing on me. After all, this is a Constitutional republic, NOT a democracy. The tyranny of the majority is meant to have no power to prevail against the rights of the few.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by CrocketsGhost

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MW

The REAL ID Act would halt the issuance of driver's license to illegal immigrants. Currently there are a handful of states that issue licenses to illegals (some also issued them to terrorist). It seems I may be one of the few around here that supports the REAL ID Act. :?

It's a small price to pay for our national security and to stop those states that give driver's licenses to criminal aliens. Heck, the states that issue the licenses to illegals are probably the ones whinning the loudest!

---

Cattle and slaves are numbered and branded.

Here's the question: IF, as IS THE CASE, the government in states like California readily provides DLs to illegal aliens and IF, as IS THE CASE, the government is willing to accept as positive ID the inferior cards issued by foreign governments and consulates, then why on Earth would a biometric card solve anything?

If you cut your head in on the deal, you will realize that the only people who are tracked by legitimate ID are legitimate people - honest, hard-working, taxpaying citizens. Just as gun laws only keep guns out of the hands of the law-abiding, so do ID laws only firmly ID the law-abiding. Why would that be?

You have to get your head into the mindset of the would-be overlords. Think of an ID as an owner's brand. Do you even care whether rogue and stray livestock are branded? Nope, you worry about the good livestock that the drovers can keep in line and that will fetch you top dollar at market. Guys who work their 9 to 5 religiously and pay their taxes, repay their debts, and keep industry churning are the guys the owners want to keep track of. The criminals and rogues are just trouble. The owner doesn't care what happens to them or where they are so long as they don't unnecessarily upset the herd.

Again, the Greek word translated as "mark" in John's Revelation is charagma, which is a slave placard - an ID card. Take yours if you want, but I'll thank you to refrain from forcing the damned thing on me. After all, this is a Constitutional republic, NOT a democracy. The tyranny of the majority is meant to have no power to prevail against the rights of the few.

---

Good analogy, Crocket'sGhost.

People in Iraq and Rwanda carry identity papers, not citizens of a free republic.

And we all know how much it has helped them survive.

Accepting this sort of intrusion is the first step in being led to the cattle cars.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 2ndamendsis

To attempt to simplify the debate on both the Real ID & the Patriot Act.

It's all in the guts of the legislation.
The danger is in the magnitude of these pieces of garbage.
This is the reason why people should READ everything. It's a rude awakening to see how a seemingly 'good' piece of legislation can be used and turned against the American people's Freedom.


Thanx JP!
Hopefully, the dems will be useful idiots.

Good to see you, SHAPKA!

---

Thanks.

The same here.

:)

-good times, G.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MW

The REAL ID Act would halt the issuance of driver's license to illegal immigrants. Currently there are a handful of states that issue licenses to illegals (some also issued them to terrorist). It seems I may be one of the few around here that supports the REAL ID Act. :?

It's a small price to pay for our national security and to stop those states that give driver's licenses to criminal aliens. Heck, the states that issue the licenses to illegals are probably the ones whinning the loudest!

---

MW,
I thought I taught you better. 8O Oh well, the rest of the folks here understand Tyranny when they see it.