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The REAL ID Rebellion: Whither the National ID Law?
POLICY FORUM
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
12:00 PM (Luncheon to Follow)
Featuring Mark Sanford, Republican Governor of South Carolina and Jon Tester, Democratic U.S. Senator from Montana. Moderated by Jim Harper, Cato Institute.
The Cato Institute
1000 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20001
• Text of Sen. Tester’s presentation (PDF, 24 KB)
tv Watch the Event in Real Video
ipodDownload a Podcast of the Event (MP3)
http://www.catomedia.org/archive-2008/cpfa-05-07-08.mp3
On May 11, 2008, the statutory deadline for compliance with the REAL ID Act will pass without a single state meeting its requirements. Indeed, more than 17 states have passed legislation objecting to or outright refusing to implement this national ID law. Earlier this year, the Department of Homeland Security handed out extensions of the compliance deadline just for the asking, but state leaders from across the ideological spectrum refused even this small gesture of acquiescence. A REAL ID rebellion is underway, and it has ushered in a debate on whether the United States should have a national ID system. The debate didn’t happen when the law passed because Congress held no hearings, and there was no up-or-down vote on REAL ID in the Senate. Votes this year on REAL ID funding, or perhaps repeal of the national ID law, will reveal where Members of Congress stand on the question whether law-abiding American citizens should be practically or legally required to carry a national ID. Please join us to hear two prominent leaders present their distinct perspectives on REAL ID, identification policy, national and individual security, identity fraud, and privacy.
http://www.cato.org/event.php?eventid=4736
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Petitions Filed to Overturn Real ID Compliance
Petitions Filed to Overturn Real ID Compliance
Written by Victoria Wallack
Thursday, May 08, 2008
AUGUSTA — Two applications for people’s veto petitions have been filed to overturn the law passed last month that puts Maine on the path to compliance with the federal REAL ID Act — a law opponents say violates people’s civil liberties.
The law, which passed the Legislature after hours of debate that stretched over days, requires the state’s Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) to check and see if a driver’s license applicant is in the country legally. It also requires the secretary of state’s office, which oversees the BMV, to develop a cost-effective way, such as facial recognition or fingerprint technology, to ensure an applicant does not have more than one driver’s license or non-driver identification card.
Governor John Baldacci put in the legislation under pressure from the Department of Homeland Security, which threatened that Mainers would no longer be able to use their driver’s licenses to board planes or enter federal buildings if the state didn’t tighten up its licensing process. It finally passed 19-15 in the Senate and 79-58 in the House.
Kathleen McGee, an activist from Bowdoinham, and Donna Bendiksen, a Republican House candidate from Portland, both filed veto applications to overturn the law entirely.
McGee said Tuesday she and Bendiksen plan to work together.
“This is about people’s right to privacy and the ability to live in a democracy without the infringement of the federal government overseeing their every move,â€
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Lake County Candidates talk Hwy. 35, Real ID at forum
Lake County Candidates talk Hwy. 35, Real ID at forum
Posted: Thursday, May 08, 2008 - 10:47:44 am PDT
Photo by Ali Bronsdon -- Finley Point resident Richard Schulz speaks with Democratic candidate for Lake County commissioner Jeanne Windham Thursday night.
By Ali Bronsdon / Leader Staff
FINLEY POINT- Candidates for county and state offices met at the Finley Point Montechato Club Thursday night for the second of nine scheduled candidate forums. Candidates for Montana legislature, county commissioner, district court judge and clerk of district court were invited. About 30 Lake County residents attended for the opportunity to submit questions on index cards, which moderator Gehrand Bechard read to the candidates. Topics included Montana Hwy 35, the Real ID Act and improvements to Finley Point Road.
Lake County Sheriff Lucky Larson also spoke to the audience about a mil levy the department hopes to pass in June.
Hwy. 35
*
One audience member asked the candidates to share their views regarding making Hwy. 35 a national scenic byway.
Democratic candidate for county commissioner and Finley Point resident Jeanne Windham referred to the recent fuel spill as an "opportunity."
"What just happened here is very serious," she said. "We're lucky lives weren't lost. I think what we're going to be able to do is remove the pups. It's going to be a big fight-the transportation industry is huge. I am really sorry about what happened to the people at the five-mile mark, but I've been waiting 17 years and this is an opportunity."
Edd Blackler, Democratic candidate for House District 9, said, "I will promise to carry any kind of activity in the legislature that is reasonable to solve this problem once and for all." Blackler agreed it would not be an easy battle, but thinks there can be restrictions on the type of product and truck lengths permitted on the road. "They're going to argue, 'We pay taxes; we can be on this road.' But this road is not built to carry this kind of traffic," Blackler said. "That is way up on my list of priorities."
Republican candidate for county commissioner Ron Boyce said, "I will fight to get all hazardous materials off that road." Boyce defined hazardous materials as anything that meets Federal HazMat requirements.
Bill Barron, Republican candidate for county commissioner, pointed out some of the many problems associated with restricting traffic to Hwy 35. "There are a lot of issues around this," he said. "I think that you can restrict the size of the trucks, you can restrict the loads, but you have to be able to get propane up this road. People are building houses and you've got to get materials there. Another consequence of this is all those trucks are now going to go through Polson. One of their huge concerns right now is that that bridge was not built to hold standing traffic. There will be standing traffic on that bridge for long periods of time." Barron also mentioned the possibility of building a bypass around Polson. "Half the people want it, others don't."
Mark Nelson, Democratic candidate for House District 15 who runs the solid waste program for Lake County, said HazMat and size restrictions on Hwy 35 would be problematic for solid waste management as well. "We wouldn't be able to get our trucks up there," he said.
Real ID Act
Candidates for House District 15 were asked to give their position on the Real ID.
Nelson said he is opposed to it. "I've been opposed to it all along," he said. "Maybe when you're born they can insert a little radio chip [into you] like they do the bison."
Democratic candidate James Steele said he agreed with Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer. "I am opposed to that," he said. "Our requirements for our driver's licenses and state IDs are more stringent than what the feds have. I think our IDs should be official and we shouldn't be infringed upon by the federal government."
Frosty Calf Boss Ribs said the Real ID is a problem for the tribal community that reaches across the border and into Canada.
Finley Point Road
An anonymous homeowner on Finley Point asked candidates for serious help with the road leading out to Finley Point. He said the road is littered with potholes and in desperate need of repair, but residents have already paid so much.
Windham agreed with that analysis. "When that road was put in, it was paid for by our money with the understanding that the county would maintain it," she said. "The complete circle of Finley Point is eight miles and there is a state park out there. One of the things that we could do is explore the idea of getting some state funding- make it a safety issue."
Barron proposed a way to fix the roads and eliminate, or at least decrease the amount of outstanding warrants in Lake County. "Let's get the chain gangs going," he said. "I'd like to take all our non-violent offenders out there. We can't make them do this, but we have to give them some sort of incentive. They'd jump at the idea because most of them don't like being in there. They'd rather be out in the sunshine doing something."
http://leaderadvertiser.com/articles/20 ... news02.txt
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Panel gets earful on feds’ ID law
May 9
Panel gets earful on feds’ ID law
Driver’s license rules for states criticized
ANDREW M. SEDER aseder@timesleader.com
SCRANTON – A controversial federal law requiring states to change the way they issue driver’s licenses was the center of attention at Thursday’s contentious state House committee public hearing.
More than 40 people, including some Amish from Lancaster County, attended the Intergovernmental Affairs Committee hearing regarding the Real ID Act that Congress passed and the president approved in 2005. It came about as part of the 9/11 Commission Report that recommended federal standards for state-issued driver’s licenses as a safety measure against terrorism.
The three of the 29 committee members who showed up said they wanted feedback about the law. When they left three hours later, they were far from disappointed.
No one from the public spoke in favor of the law, and those who spoke urged representatives to reject the law or Congress to repeal it. The law orders states to meet a national standard for driver’s licenses, including verifying birth certificates, Social Security numbers or passports presented as identification to obtain licenses.
States must link their record-keeping systems together – a requirement that has drawn the most ire from critics.
George Dietrich of Newport Township said hackers can get into any system and called a central database for all states an identity thief’s dream.
“You don’t put all your eggs in one basket, and that’s what this is doing,â€
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Were points just swiped from Rep. Hortman?
Were points just swiped from Rep. Hortman?
Posted at 3:01 PM on May 13, 2008 by Michael Marchio (0 Comments)
While the governor meets with House leaders, the Senate has been keeping busy, and passed yet another bill sure to stick in the governor's craw. HF3807, originally Rep. Melissa Hortman's whistleblower protection bill, had its language swapped in the Senate Finance Committee from this in the original bill:
(f) an employee in the executive branch of state government communicates information that the employee, in good faith, believes to be truthful and accurate, and that relates to improving services provided by the executive branch, to: (1) a legislator or an employee in the legislative branch; or (2) an elected official in the executive branch.
To this:
Section 1. NONCOMPLIANCE WITH REAL ID ACT. The commissioner of public safety is prohibited from taking any action to implement or to plan for the implementation by this state of those sections of Public Law 109-13 known as the Real ID Act. EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective the day following final enactment.
Somebody call Wesley Snipes, there's been a hijacking!
Actually, Rep. Hortman was nice enough to let the file number from her whistleblower protection bill be used in the Senate as a vehicle for the Real ID prohibition. She's taking a hit in points for this, because there's few things you can be more sure about than Gov. Pawlenty vetoing a stand-alone bill rejecting the federal Real ID program, and she may have had a cool 50 coming her way if the governor signed her whistleblower bill.
So what is this Real ID the Commish speaks of? It was, according to the testimony of many senators on the floor today, inserted as a rider to a bigger bill in the United States House of Representatives at midnight, with no discussion. It would require states to create a new drivers license (again?) that complies with federal security regulations. Sen. Warren Limmer (R-Maple Grove) said that it would cost between $60 and $90 million, and the feds haven't provided the funding to do it.
The pro-Real ID argument was that it would help deal with the illegal immigration problem, and guarantee people are who they say they are when they enter the country.
The vote passed on a 50-16 vote, enough for a veto-override, but the House hasn't passed a version yet.
Fun (well, maybe not fun, but odd) Fact: we've had two omnibus transportation policy bills go through the Legislature this year. The first one HF1351, included a Real ID prohibition, and the governor vetoed it when it hit his desk in April. The second one, HF3800, includes the seat belt primary offense provision and the parental driving rules. This one's was sent back to conference committee after the report was rejected last week on the House floor.
As for Rep. Hortman's whistleblower bill, it's found a home in SF3363, a bill that would require state agencies to share more budget information earlier with the Legislature, instead of giving the governor a head start as current rules have it. There's no way to give points for when one bill is rolled into a bigger one, but whistleblowers across the state will know who to thank for protection if this makes it into law.
Majority Leader Pogemiller said that the Senate will be in recess until after 6:00 p.m. tonight, but look for more action tonight.
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/collec ... om_r.shtml
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Minnesota Senate Says No to Real ID
Minnesota Senate Says No to Real ID
ST. PAUL (AP) -- By a veto-proof margin, the Minnesota Senate has approved a bill that would bar state driver's license authorities from implementing the federal Real ID regulations.
The proposed prohibition faces a tough road though. Governor Tim Pawlenty vetoed an earlier attempt to require conditions be met for the state to change licenses to meet federal rules.
The Senate's vote was 50-16. The bill now heads to the House for consideration.
Many states have resisted the Real ID mandate. Eventually, it will require that every citizen carry a U.S. government-approved card to board a plane or enter a federal facility.
Critics say it will be costly to implement and that too much of people's personal information will be added to a national database.
Supporters argue that a more secure identification card will help in homeland security and immigration control efforts.
http://www.kttc.com/News/index.php?ID=24727
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Minn. House, Senate both reject Real ID
ST. PAUL -- The House and Senate have approved a bill that would bar state driver's license authorities from implementing the federal Real ID regulations.
Governor Pawlenty vetoed an earlier attempt to require that conditions be met before the state could change licenses to meet federal rules. But both chambers passed the bill by veto-proof margins: 50-16 in the Senate and 103-30 in the House.
The Real ID mandate would require every citizen to carry a U.S. government-approved card to board a plane or enter a federal facility.
Critics say it will be costly to implement and that too much of people's personal information will be added to a national database. Supporters argue that a more secure identification card will help in homeland security and immigration control efforts.
http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article ... yid=510802
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Minn. House, Senate both reject Real ID
May 13 2008 10:04PM
Associated Press
PAUL (AP) The House and Senate have approved a bill that would bar state driver's license authorities from implementing the federal Real ID regulations.
Governor Pawlenty vetoed an earlier attempt to require that conditions be met before the state could change licenses to meet federal rules. But both chambers passed the bill by veto-proof margins: 50-16 in the Senate and 103-30 in the House.
The Real ID mandate would require every citizen to carry a U.S.
government-approved card to board a plane or enter a federal facility.
Critics say it will be costly to implement and that too much of people's personal information will be added to a national database.
Supporters argue that a more secure identification card will help in homeland security and immigration control efforts.
http://www.kxma.com/getArticle.asp?ArticleId=238066
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Minnesota House, Senate pass bill barring compliance with Re
Friday, May 16, 2008
Minnesota House, Senate pass bill barring compliance with Real ID Act
Andrew Gilmore at 1:21 PM ET
Photo source or description
[JURIST] The Minnesota House and Senate [official websites] passed a bill [HF3807 text] this week to bar the state from complying with the Real ID Act of 2005 [PDF text; JURIST news archive]. Opponents of the Act say that it would be too expensive to implement and could also infringe on citizens' privacy. The legislature's action comes as states grapple with the issue of compliance with a final rule [text; DHS backgrounder] establishing new minimum standards [press release; JURIST report] for state-issued identification cards promulgated by the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) [official website] in January. AP has more. The Pioneer Press has local coverage.
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 2007, Homeland Security responded to these concerns by extending the deadline for compliance by 18 months [JURIST report].
http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/paperchase/2 ... s-bill.php
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Real ID Foes Join Forces To Try To Repeal Maine law
POSTED: 2:13 pm EDT May 16, 2008
UPDATED: 2:35 pm EDT May 16, 2008
[NEWSVINE: Real ID Foes Join Forces To Try To Repeal Maine law] [DELICIOUS: Real ID Foes Join Forces To Try To Repeal Maine law] [DIGG: Real ID Foes Join Forces To Try To Repeal Maine law] [FACEBOOK: Real ID Foes Join Forces To Try To Repeal Maine law] [REDDIT: Real ID Foes Join Forces To Try To Repeal Maine law] [RSS] [PRINT: Real ID Foes Join Forces To Try To Repeal Maine law] [EMAIL: Real ID Foes Join Forces To Try To Repeal Maine law]
PORTLAND, Maine -- Two leaders of referendums aimed at challenging a state law that bolsters driver's license requirements to bring Maine closer to compliance with the federal Real ID law are kicking off a petition-gathering campaign.
Friday's appearance of Kathleen McGee of Bowdoinham and Donna Bendiksen of Portland along with others opposed to the state law showed a united front during a petition drive aimed at collecting 55,000 signatures by July 17th to put the proposal on the November ballot.
McGee said state lawmakers overwhelmingly barred the state from complying with Real ID but backed down because of what she called intimidation, abuse and tyrannical tactics by the Department of Homeland Security.
Critics describe Real ID as an unwanted invasion of privacy as well as an unfunded mandate. They said it would do little, if anything, to boost security.
http://www.wmtw.com/news/16297481/detail.html
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JBS Action Alert: Support H.R.220 - Common Sense About Ident
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.
http://www.jbs.org/node/8068
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No REAL ID in South Carolina!
No REAL ID in South Carolina!
First, I want to say I support Gov. Mark Sanford's courageous decision to stand against REAL ID. In his letter to Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff he said, "I am duty bound to comply with the laws of our state." As you may know, South Carolina passed a law last year saying they would not comply with REAL ID. What courage to take a stand when the pressure was turned on from all sides! God give us more people who will take a stand!
Second, I am responding to the April 8th editorial in this paper entitled, "Now let's get the feds to fund REAL ID." The unfunded mandate is really the least of my worries. You can get a copy of Gov. Sanford's letter to Secretary Chertoff from the governor's Web site. In that letter he clearly lays out the reasons why we cannot and should not comply with REAL ID. Did you know that Congress never debated REAL ID? Did you know that terrorists can get a passport from another country and REAL ID won't stop them from entering our country? Did you know illegal immigrants can still walk across the border and REAL ID won't stop them? Yes, it is clear that REAL ID won't make us safer, just more controlled and regulated by the feds. Does that not contrast limited federal government? No REAL ID in SC!
Titus Stracener
Pickens
http://www.greenvilleonline.com/apps/pb ... 004/NEWS01
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Legislature bound for Sunday afternoon session
Published Sunday, May 18, 2008
ST. PAUL (AP) — The Legislature was bound for a Sunday afternoon session after negotiators failed to settle their differences Saturday night on an overall deal for ending the 2008 session.
Lawmakers had been hoping to head home for the year before sunrise on Sunday.
Senate Tax Committee Chairman Tom Bakk, DFL-Cook, said the main hang-up was over how many years limits on local property tax increases would stay in place. Republicans said they wouldn't go below three years.
House Majority Leader Tony Sertich, DFL-Chisholm, wouldn't talk about the items that still divided legislators and Gov. Tim Pawlenty, but he said a Sunday afternoon session was unavoidable.
"I'm still hopeful and optimistic about a successful and orderly end to the session," Sertich said, then walked away from reporters who tried to press him for details on the negotiations.
None of the major bills lawmakers had been expecting to pass had made it to the House or Senate floors before midnight, and House Minority Leader Marty Seifert said it would be 2 a.m. at the earliest before they could even print or distribute copies of a health plan completed late Saturday.
Seifert, R-Marshall, said a bill to rid the state of a nearly $1 billion deficit was all but agreed on, but it would take at least six hours to get it into voting shape.
He also said it was his understanding the Legislature wouldn't begin its final run until Sunday afternoon so lawmakers could attend church services.
"I haven't missed church in 11 years," Seifert said. "I'm not starting now."
Legislative leaders had been hoping the completion of a health care plan Saturday would cause all the other dominos to fall.
Sen. Linda Berglin said the package of medical payment reforms and expanded health care coverage would result in coverage for 12,000 more Minnesotans, including 7,000 on public programs. She said the deal also included a one-time $50 million transfer from a dedicated health care account that had been the subject of much disagreement between Democrats and Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty.
As top legislators and Pawlenty were still talking behind closed doors, Pawlenty spokesman Brian McClung said final approval of the health care proposal hung on an overall deal coming together.
McClung said the health care package would put Minnesota ahead of the rest of the country on giving consumers information about medical care.
GOP Rep. Laura Brod, R-New Prague, said she liked that it included tax credits and other measures to make private health insurance more affordable.
Berglin, the top Senate Democrat on health care, said the changes to allow more single adults and children into state programs were a step in the right direction.
"It's better to get 12,000 people covered today than to wait another year," she said.
Major unresolved issues also included tight school budgets and finance plans for the Mall of America and urban mass-transit users. Midnight late Sunday is the last chance to pass bills or override vetoes, with Monday's session reserved for ceremony and internal business.
Earlier Saturday, leading lawmakers and Pawlenty stepped out of their budget talks and onto the Capitol steps, breaking to mark Minnesota's 150th birthday. Lawmakers in suits mingled with casually dressed visitors as vintage airplanes buzzed overhead. Pawlenty and top Democrats posed together for a picture, smiling broadly for the cameras before heading back into the closed-door negotiations.
The Senate narrowly approved a bill that would hold off foreclosures for homeowners struggling to make their mortgage payments. The vote was 34-33. The House approved it late Friday after adding amendments to restrict the protection to those earning less than $250,000 a year and forbidding illegal immigrants from taking advantage of the help.
There were some wild cards remaining. Sponsors of a proposal to raise the minimum wage, a bill Gov. Tim Pawlenty vetoed this week, hoped a scaled-back plan would prevail. And a veto override was possible on a bill prohibiting Minnesota from complying with federal-imposed driver's license overhaul many Republicans and Democrats view as heavy-handed and underfunded.
Pawlenty issued an executive order Saturday preventing state government from implementing the federal Real ID regulations before June 2009, saying he shared some of the concerns. It was unclear whether that order would head off an override attempt.
The sides agreed in concept to a property tax relief plan that would prevent local levies from rising more than 3.9 percent a year. It would be combined with $60 million and would go to cities, counties and townships to cushion the effect of a levy limit. More money would also be plowed into programs that provide direct, income-based relief for homeowners. But how long the cap would stay in place remained a sticking point. There was also an expectation that cities would be permitted to raise taxes above the cap if the money generated went toward hiring new police officers and firefighters.
To address a $935 million budget shortfall, lawmakers were primed to sign off on about $355 million in spending cuts, a corporate tax change worth $100 million in new revenue and a $500 million withdrawal from the state's rainy day fund. The final package was also likely to contain one-time aid to schools totaling $51 per student.
Other items under consideration on the final day included: a $70 million borrowing request viewed as vital to a planned Minneapolis-to-St. Paul light rail line, an appropriation to buy land for a new state park in northeastern Minnesota and a subsidy package toward a massive Mall of America expansion.
http://www.fergusfallsjournal.com/news/ ... n-session/
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Governor, legislative leaders agree on health care reform, budget deal may be in sight
Sunday, May 18, 2008; Posted: 05:39 AM
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May 18, 2008 (Pioneer Press - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- -- After a day of laborious negotiations at the Capitol, Gov. Tim Pawlenty and legislative leaders began making headway toward a budget-balancing deal late this afternoon when they reached agreement on the health-care portion of the package.
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The breakthrough was seen as a critical step toward crafting a larger deal to erase a projected $935 million budget deficit and to allow the Legislature to end as early as tomorrow morning, a day before the constitutionally mandated deadline.
For weeks, lawmakers worked to reach agreement on a deal to not only clear up the projected deficit, but also to keep a lid on property tax increases and to give Minnesota homeowners some property tax relief.
Shortly after 5 p.m., Sen. Linda Berglin, DFL-Minneapolis, said negotiators and Pawlenty had signed off on health-reform provisions to provide coverage for about 12,000 uninsured people.
She said other details in fixing the deficit could now fall into place.
"It's a good step in the right direction," Berglin, a health care expert, said about the health-reform agreement. "I think there is much more work that will need to be done in future sessions."
DFL lawmakers had hoped to expand coverage to about 40,000 uninsured Minnesotans.
Of the 12,000 persons who will qualify for new coverage, about 5,000 will get tax credits to enable them to buy insurance on the private market, Pawlenty spokesman Brian McClung said. The other 7,000, all low-income single adults, would
become eligible for MinnesotaCare, the state-subsidized insurance program for the working poor.
While the DFLers were pushing for greater access to health coverage, McClung said Pawlenty demanded cost containment and better quality.
Under the agreement, the state will collect and disseminate more health information to the public "so that people are going to be able to make better decisions about their own health care," McClung said. "This package would make Minnesota, we believe, the leading state in the nation when it comes to health care transparency."
It also would require physicians to write and send prescriptions to pharmacies electronically by 2011, reducing errors caused by illegible scribbling, he said.
In addition, the legislation would provide new incentives to encourage healthier behavior, he said.
Late tonight, legislative negotiators said they had worked out an agreement on a new K-12 funding package, another key ingredient in the overall deal. No details were immediately available.
Meanwhile, Pawlenty and legislative leaders were reported to be bargaining over the final details of property tax relief.
Earlier in the day, the governor vetoed a bill preventing the state from complying with the federal Real ID program and later signed an executive order saying the state won't implement it before June 1 next year unless authorized by the Legislature. The order appeared to be an attempt to persuade the Legislature not to attempt a veto override.
The Real ID act is aimed at hindering terrorists and illegal immigrants from getting state driver's licenses.
"This will give us an opportunity to work with our federal partners and state legislators to resolve the valid concerns regarding this program," Pawlenty said in a statement.
The Legislature, meanwhile, spent most of the day in recess or passing a string of low-profile bills.
An exception was the Senate's 34-33 vote to pass a bill holding off foreclosures for homeowners having trouble making mortgage payments. The House approved it late Friday after adding a $250,000 income cap and barring illegal immigrants from getting the help.
The final budget package, while still unclear, is expected to include:
--A 3.9 percent limit on how much cities and counties can increase property taxes.
--$60 million in state aid for local governments.
--$30 million in direct property tax refunds for strapped homeowners.
It should also include $355 million in spending cuts and about $129 million in tax revenues and use about $500 million from the state's $653 million in reserve funds.
House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher, DFL-Minneapolis, and other leaders have said that if there's a deal, state funding for the Central Corridor light-rail line linking Minneapolis and St. Paul could pass this session. Pawlenty vetoed $70 million in funding for the light-rail line last month.
http://www.tradingmarkets.com/.site/new ... s/1576043/
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Sensenbrenner's outburst on Real ID sours GOP lovefest
Nichols: Sensenbrenner's outburst on Real ID sours GOP lovefest
John Nichols — 5/18/2008 8:32 pm
The Republican Party of Wisconsin's attempt to make its 2008 convention in Stevens Point a show of unity on the eve of a difficult election campaign fell apart when U.S. Rep. James Sensenbrenner used his speech to trash Assembly Speaker Mike Huebsch.
The state's senior Republican at the federal level was furious with the top state Republican's moves to block implementation of the Real ID Act.
And he suggested that Huebsch had abandoned Republican principles during the recent debate over the state budget repair bill. "We need to act like Republicans and vote like Republicans," the Menomonee Falls Republican declared, in a pointed jab at Huebsch, a West Salem legislator who leads an Assembly chamber that has a narrow Republican majority.
Sensenbrenner has led the push for Real ID, a federal law that demands states implement strict security, authentication and issuance procedures standards to limit access to state driver's licenses and state ID cards. Ostensibly, the program is designed to make state identification documents acceptable by the federal government for what the Department of Homeland Security describes as "official purposes."
But civil libertarians and strict-constructionist readers of the Constitution have objected to what they see as a "big-brother" initiative. And they have sought to stall development of the program.
In Wisconsin, last week, Huebsch and other Republicans joined Democrats in backing a budget repair bill that strips Real ID of funding necessary for its implementation.
A total of $22 million that had been earmarked for Real ID was instead directed to the general fund. Democratic Governor Jim Doyle vetoed the move, earning high praise from the state's senior Republican.
Sensenbrenner had no such kind words for Huebsch on Saturday.
"Unfortunately Speaker Huebsch decided to push it through the Assembly, and he did so in a manner that does not fix the problem of over-taxing and replaces transportation fees with more state borrowing. Exactly the same move that helped destroy the Republican brand nationally," griped Sensenbrenner. "Everyone sees this as a political shell game that simply postpones hard decisions."
Huebsch did not respond directly but instead told delegates that, "We as Republicans do not place our faith in government but in each other."
In a straw poll of delegates regarding their pick as a candidate for governor, Huebsch tied for sixth with former Congressman Mark Neumann, who has been sidelined since he lost a U.S. Senate race to Russ Feingold a decade ago.
The survey, conducted by the WisPolitics crew, asked: "If a 2010 primary for governor were being held today, which Republican would you choose to be the party's nominee?"
Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker was the big winner, with 157 votes. Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen got 24. Former Secretary of Commerce Bill McCoshen had 9, Senate Minority Leader Scott Fitzgerald got 8 and former Governor Tommy Thompson took 5.
Huebsch had four supporters.
http://www.madison.com/tct/top5/286978
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N.C. lawmakers target ID law
N.C. lawmakers target ID law
By Mark Binker
Staff Writer
Monday, May. 19, 2008 3:00 am
RALEIGH — North Carolina would become the latest state to rebel against the federal REAL ID driver's license standards if an atypical mix of lawmakers gets its way.
Do you also oppose it? Join the discussion at the Debatables blog.
Both fiscal conservatives worried about the law's impact on state spending and more liberal members, who express concerns about the potential for invasion of privacy, signed on to a bill this past week that demands, "No State agency shall comply with the requirements of the REAL ID ACT." That 2005 federal law created uniform standards for state driver's licenses in an effort to make identification harder to fake or obtain for those here illegally.
Should the North Carolina proposal pass and the federal government not change the current law, North Carolinians would be unable to use their driver's licenses for boarding airplanes or entering U.S. government buildings.
"The cost is going to equate to what it costs us to pave 20 miles of new road, and we just can't afford to do that," said Rep. Nelson Cole, a Rockingham County Democrat who is chairman of a pair of key committees on transportation. He estimated that compliance with the law this year would cost at least $20 million, largely for computer upgrades.
Cole calls the law an "unfunded mandate," a criticism of federal policies that require costly actions by the states but do not provide money to pay for the actions.
Slowing tax revenues and rising costs equate to little room for new programs in the budget that takes effect July 1. At the same time, road construction and other transportation needs are becoming more pressing.
"There's also a lot of questions from a civil liberties perspective," said Rep. Paul Luebke, a Durham Democrat and the Finance Committee chairman.
The law would assemble a mammoth database of personal information. That has been a major sticking point for those concerned about government keeping too close a watch on its citizens or about security failures that could put individuals at risk for identity theft.
In recent years, North Carolina has been criticized for having licenses that are too easy to obtain, making it a draw for those in the country illegally. Legislators say most of those issues have been taken care of and that the REAL ID requirements do little to increase the security of the state's driver's licenses.
Maine became the first state to formally reject REAL ID requirements last year; now at least seven states have passed laws similar to North Carolina's. Several other states are in the process of passing laws, including Minnesota, where the legislature voted to reject the federal law over the threat of the governor's veto.
In fact, so many legislatures and governors have said they could not or would not comply with REAL ID, that the Department of Homeland Security granted all 50 states an extension for complying with the new rules from May 11 of this year until Dec. 31, 2009.
Congress passed REAL ID in 2005, part of a response to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New York and Washington.
Amy Kudwa, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, said the law was aimed at making sure all states had similar and strict regulations in place for issuing identification.
And she cautioned that extensions for compliance eventually will expire, saying that if states don't bring their licenses in line by 2010, "there will be very practical consequences" for residents of those states.
Residents from states that don't comply with REAL ID would need to obtain passports or other documentation that complies with the standards to fly or enter federal buildings, she said.
And opponents are worried about language that says REAL ID-compliant identification could be needed for any "federal purpose," said Matt Sundeen, a transportation analyst with the National Conference of State Legislatures.
"That's the real hammer here," he said. "People have talked about accessing any federal benefits being a concern."
The conference is among a number of groups pushing the federal government to rewrite the REAL ID rules or, failing that, to repeal the law altogether.
"The need for secure documentation was one of the main recommendations of the 9/11 Commission," said U.S. Rep. Howard Coble, a Greensboro Republican.
Coble said it surprises him that the state legislature would consider such a move because he had been told North Carolina was making good progress in complying with the law.
"I'm disappointed because I think there's far more good than bad in complying with it," Coble said.
A spokeswoman for the state Division of Motor Vehicles declined to comment on the pending legislation.
Contact Mark Binker at (919) 832-5549 or mark.binker @news-record.com
http://www.news-record.com/apps/pbcs.dl ... /841994059
_________________
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Real ID ominous, like papers communists used
Real ID ominous, like papers communists used
Kennebec Journal & Morning Sentinel 05/20/2008
This Real ID stuff is really ominous.
Are you sure that you can prove that you are who you are? Do you have all of your documents in order? If not, well, who knows?
You may not be able to board a plane, you may not be able to get a driver's license or passport. You may not be able to leave the country. If you discover that Real ID is a bad idea, you may not be able to undo it, because you may not be able to vote!
I have a friend who grew up in a communist country. He told me that the Nazis instituted ID requirements when they took over his country. The communists loved it and kept it on.
Abby Shahn
Solon
http://morningsentinel.mainetoday.com/v ... 63138.html
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ACTE Presents U.S. Senator Daniel Kahikina Akaka With Association's Highest Award
"ACTE leadership sees S. 717 as a major turning point for the travelling public ..."
(EMAILWIRE.COM, May 20, 2008 ) Washington, D.C. – For the first time in its 20-year history, the Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE) has honored an elected official with its highest award. United States. Senator Daniel Kahikina Akaka (D-Hawaii), was named the recipient of ACTE's President's Award, during the opening session of the association's Global Educational Conference in Washington, D.C. yesterday. Senator Akaka, a member of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, was cited for his work on the Identification Security Enhancement Act (S. 717), which is recognized as the best alternative to REAL ID.
Speaking before a record crowd of 1,200 travel management executives, ACTE President Richard Crum said, "By proposing the Identification Security Enhancement Act, Senator Akaka has attempted to safeguard traveller privacy, provide the states with a realistic program to achieve increased drivers license security, and eliminate the potential for fraudulent ID to be issued through one compromised federal database. At the same time, Senator Akaka's efforts will reverse the divisive and unworkable aspects of REAL ID."
Receiving the award for Senator Akaka was Jennifer Tyree, Chief Counsel for the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
ACTE officially endorsed the Identification Security Enhancement Act in submitted written testimony on 29 April 2008, and has recently launched a state-by-state awareness campaign, educating state legislators and travellers to the shortcomings of REAL ID, and the benefits of S. 717. REAL ID calls for creating yet another federal database in which to store sensitive data. This data may be shared by other governments or even third parties for identity verification. There is a risk that forged REAL ID documents would give criminals access to a vast domestic transportation network without ever undergoing a secondary check.
The Identification Security Enhancement Act allows for more secure licensing procedures without compromising traveller/driver privacy laws in each state and affords greater protection of the data. The bill has six other co-sponsors: Sen. Lamar Alexander (R, TN), Sen. Max Baucus (D, MT), Sen. John Kerry (D, MA), Sen. Patrick Leahy (D, VT), Sen. John Sununu (R, NH), and Sen. Jon Tester (D, MT).
A recent ACTE poll indicated that the majority of members wanted the association to investigate alternatives to the REAL ID Act, or support its repeal. According to association Executive Director Susan Gurley, S. 717 accommodates both.
"ACTE leadership sees S. 717 as a major turning point for the travelling public," said Gurley. "For the last six years, travellers have been confronted by one new regulation after another. Many of our members have provided commentary and input to government authorities without acknowledgment or satisfaction. The growing support for S. 717 indicates that major stakeholders in transportation expect to be heard."
ABOUT ACTE:
The Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE) represents the global business travel industry through its international advocacy efforts, executive level educational programs, and independent industry research. ACTE's membership consists of senior travel industry executives from 82 countries representing the €200 billion business travel industry. With the support of sponsors from every major segment of the business travel industry, ACTE develops and delivers educational programs in key business centers throughout the world. ACTE has offices in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Canada, Europe, Latin America, Middle East and the United States. For more information on ACTE, please go to www.acte.org.
# # #
For more information, contact:
Jack Riepe
ACTE National Communications Director
t: 610-719-8396
c: 610-256-0124
e: riepeacte@aol.com
###
This press release was issued through GroupWeb EmailWire.Com. For more information on unlimited press release distribution service, go to http://www.emailwire.com
Contact Information:
ACTE Inc
Jack Riepe
Tel: 610-719-8396
Email us
http://www.emailwire.com/release/13562- ... Award.html
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Huebsch defends budget bill
Published - Tuesday, May 20, 2008
POST COMMENT | READ COMMENTS (2 comment(s))
Huebsch defends budget bill
By REID MAGNEY / La Crosse Tribune
.
Assembly Speaker Mike Huebsch defended himself Monday in the wake of criticism from Wisconsin’s senior Republican congressman at the state GOP convention this weekend. Speaking about the budget repair bill, U.S. Rep. James Sensenbrenner said:
“Unfortunately Speaker Huebsch decided to push it through the Assembly, and he did so in a manner that does not fix the problem of over-taxing and replaces transportation fees with more state borrowing. Exactly the same move that helped destroy the Republican brand nationally. Everyone sees this as a political shell game that simply postpones hard decisions.â€
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Is Gloucester's police 'presence' going too far?
Published: May 20, 2008 05:03 am ShareThisShareThis PrintThis
My View column: Is Gloucester's police 'presence' going too far?
By Inge Berge
Special to the Times
Is it just me, or are things changing around here?
I'm sitting at this local bar a week ago Friday night — just me and a friend, having a martini, shooting the breeze, enjoying life.
There were probably 10 other patrons in the room, plus the restaurant-owner and the barkeep; it is a class joint, by all standards — not the kind of place where any kind of trouble goes down. Just good food, good drinks, civilized company.
I guess it must have been around 10-ish. We'd been half-noticing a police cruiser parked out front the previous hour or so – effectively blocking the entrance to the parking area, so that no more cars could enter. Come to think of it, no new patrons entered the establishment on foot either, the whole time the cruiser sat out front.
Around 10, two uniformed, armed policemen enter the bar. Mind you, there's nothing going on, nobody has called them; nobody would have any reason to. Nevertheless, these two Gloucester officers show up — and more or less start to interrogate the bar owner right in front of us — his patrons, his bread and butter.
"You the owner, sir? Any problems with underage drinking in your place? Ever have any trouble? Fights, excessive drunkenness?" I'm paraphrasing, but you get the idea.
It seems they were doing random spot-checks on several area bars and restaurants — just sort of letting their presence be known, letting the bar owner know they're there, always ... right near by.
Now, most folks probably think this is a good thing. Many would likely say this is an example of "good community policing" or some such phrase. I happen to see things in a different light.
The whole song-and-dance looked more like posturing to me — if not quite intimidation, then uncouth at least. There's a very fine line between "protect and serve" and "intimidate and harass."
Maybe it's my upbringing. I grew up in Norway in the 1980s — a very different time and place than post-9/11 America, to be sure. No terror threats, real nor imagined, no rampant crime. It seemed very free — and very free of police, too.
As kids, we partied, hung out, did our thing. In the woods, at our friends' houses, at the local lake. In discos and clubs. Nobody ever had occasion for any contact with law enforcement. The police were there; you could call the local constabulary and they would surely send a man to assist, should there ever be trouble. But there never was. To the kids, "The Police" meant a British new-wave band.
Now it's 2008, and I live in Gloucester, Mass., USA. Allegedly, I'm a resident of the freest country in the world. I see, on average, 15 to 20 patrol vehicles a day. If I walk my dog around the block, all probability indicates I'll see an armed officer in a marked cruiser. If I drive anywhere, even just across town, I'm likely to spot at least two or three. In short, police presence is high, folks.
We have highly paid, deadly-force-equipped cops guarding every manhole cover being opened, every tree-branch being sawed, every pothole being filled, every peaceful gathering of anything more than a small handful of citizens.
The United States has the highest rate of incarceration in the history of the world. We have in effect done away with habeas corpus, and our federal government is in the process of demanding that all states comply with the Real ID Act, requiring all citizens to be ready to "show their papers" at any and all prompting. Panopticon society is fast becoming a reality, and we simply don't care, as long as there are still cheap flat-screens at Best Buy and juicy gossip about Britney and Paris in the tabloids.
Police are needed in any community, and I applaud and support the fine work of police departments and officers everywhere who fight crime while always keeping in mind what it is they're helping to safeguard: a free and open society.
This little cop-show at the bar, however, made me wonder just how long it will be until it's decreed to be OK for officers to enter people's homes to conduct spot-checks. "Just checking in, ma'am. Just keeping you safe from yourself and making sure everything is up to specs. Not to worry. Anything suspicious to report about your neighbors? We're watching ya."
Now, notice I am not accusing any officer of any kind of wrongdoing under current laws and guidelines. This police visit was in perfect keeping with the present American Zeitgeist; perfectly aligned with our current paradigm of inviting the ever-stronger arm of the law into all forms of social interaction. To me, it was a fitting piece of evidence of a society grown accustomed to forfeiting its civil liberties, piece by piece, in exchange for a perceived increase in order and security.
But there's a postscript: The following Wednesday, after a long day at work, I was heading back home; the last train from Boston.
As I groggily stepped out onto the platform in Gloucester at 1:15 a.m., I and the other passengers are greeted by two policemen — their bright flashlights in our faces, accompanied by a brusque demand for ID. When I asked one of the officers what the story is, he replied "Oh yeah, you wanna get involved, do you? You could be a terrorist, that's what the story is. Let's see some ID ..."
I quickly complied, asking no more questions.
There's a saying: "All those in favor of living in a police state, say nothing."
World history indicates you're very likely to get your wish granted.
Inge Berge is a musician and writer living in Gloucester.
http://www.gloucestertimes.com/puopinio ... 24823.html
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A real ID dilemma
Wednesday, May. 21, 2008 3:00 am
The REAL ID Act deserves the fair and open debate in Raleigh it didn’t get in Washington.
Congress included the directive in a larger legislative package of anti-terrorism funding and tsunami relief three years ago and approved it without much discussion. It did follow a recommendation of the 9/11 Commission that the federal government "set standards for the issuance of sources of identification, such as driver’s licenses." But, as the deadline for compliance approached, many states raised objections.
North Carolina is one of the latest. State Rep. Nelson Cole, D-Rockingham, last week filed a bill blocking compliance with the federal law. As with similar measures in other states, the effort draws support from liberals and conservatives. Co-sponsors of Cole’s measure include Democratic Reps. Pricey Harrison and Maggie Jeffus of Greensboro and Republican Reps. Cary Allred of Burlington and Jerry Dockham of Denton.
Critics say the REAL ID Act forces states to spend millions to tighten standards for issuing driver’s licenses, puts personal privacy at risk by creating a new database of identification information and won’t significantly strengthen national security.
Those are serious concerns that deserve careful examination. So do the potential benefits claimed by proponents of the act.
Even if REAL ID was adopted too quickly in Washington, it should not be rejected in Raleigh without due deliberation. Cole’s bill should be referred to an appropriate committee, which should call witnesses who can spell out the advantages, costs and drawbacks of compliance with this measure.
North Carolina is not required to participate in the REAL ID program. However, there will be consequences for North Carolina residents if the state doesn’t meet the Dec. 31, 2009, deadline. Unless their state-issued driver’s licenses meet the criteria set out in federal law, they won’t be accepted as valid identification to pass airport security gates or to gain access to federal facilities. In most cases, residents will have to use passports instead. A passport, the original national ID, is a document that every American really ought to have, anyway.
Griping from Raleigh about the REAL ID rings a bit hollow. The state’s notoriously lax standards for issuing driver’s licenses, now largely corrected, helped bring this about. Most of the 9/11 terrorists carried driver’s licenses from states with similar policies. For many years, illegal immigrants found it easy to gain a North Carolina driver’s license. There’s nothing wrong with the federal government’s determination that states should subject license applicants to closer scrutiny. States that refuse shouldn’t expect their licenses to hold much credibility nationally.
At the same time, costs and privacy fears must be examined. It’s a big step for North Carolina to either comply with or reject this federal initiative, and it should proceed only after considering all the facts.
To comment on this editorial, visit the blog Your Voice at the Table.
http://www.news-record.com/apps/pbcs.dl ... /566697168
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Not on ballot yet, but petitions seek voter support
Not on ballot yet, but petitions seek voter support
By Victoria Wallack
State House News Service
AUGUSTA (May 21, 2008): Voters going to the polls on primary Election Day, June 10, could be asked to sign as many as seven petitions for proposed ballot initiatives ranging from the so-called TABOR 2 tax and spending limit to a ban on gay marriages.
Four of the petitions are holdovers from last year and their proponents are confident they can get the 55,087 signatures needed by January to get the proposals on the November 2009 ballot.
They include a repeal of the state’s school consolidation law; a modified version of the Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR) that was defeated in 2006 by a 54-46 percent vote; a proposal to cut the motor vehicle excise tax in half; and, a measure that would allow Mainers to purchase health insurance coverage in other New England states.
Two are people’s veto petitions to overturn laws passed by the Legislature this past session. They include repeals of the new soda, beer, wine and insurance taxes to fund the state’s subsidized Dirigo Health insurance program; and tighter restrictions on issuing Maine driver’s licenses to begin compliance with the federal Real ID law. The people’s veto proponents must collect the 55,087 signatures by July 17 to get the repeals on this November’s ballot.
The seventh petition is being circulated by the Christian Civic League of Maine, which aims to get its new referendum on the November 2009 ballot. It would overturn language added to the Maine Human Rights Act to protect gays and lesbians from discrimination and prohibit same-sex marriage or adoption by an unmarried couple.
Three of the proposed ballot questions were initially promoted by the Maine Heritage Policy Center, a conservative think tank in Portland, but are now being handed over to a new conservative group – Maine Leads of Augusta. Ray Lenardson, Maine Leads director, was a spokesman for the first TABOR campaign and a former tax policy analyst for Maine Heritage. He says the two groups will work in tandem to help articulate a more conservative fiscal policy to Maine voters.
Maine Leads will be the politically active partner, gathering signatures for TABOR 2, the excise tax reduction and health care reform. Lenardson said he is confident the group will get its needed signatures this summer.
Skip Greenlaw of Stonington, head of the Maine Coalition to Save Schools, is in charge of the petition drive to overturn Maine’s new school district consolidation law. He says his group already has more than 40,000 signatures and hopes to get the rest at the June 10 primary.
Greenlaw had been worried that changes made to the law during the last legislative session would render the initial petition moot.
Julie Flynn, head of elections for the Secretary of State’s Office, said any challenge to the validity of the petition would not be considered until after the signatures are handed in and an election held.
“We don’t really have any authority to determine that before the fact,â€
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ID law debated at public hearing
BY GEORGE MILLER
george.miller@timesnews.com [more details]
Published: May 23. 2008 6:00AM
Pennsylvania is trying to decide whether it will comply with new federal regulations for issuing driver's licenses and state ID cards.
Advocates say changes are necessary to increase security and protect citizens against terrorism and even identity theft.
Opponents say the new system will violate individual privacy rights and be just another step in the creation of a national database on individuals.
Those two themes played out during a public hearing held by state Rep. W. Curtis Thomas, of Philadelphia, D-181st Dist. and chairman of the House Intergovernmental Affairs Committee, at Erie City Council chambers Thursday.
About 40 residents attended.
The state Department of Transportation has requested an extension until Dec. 31, 2009, to comply with the law. The Legislature must decide by then. States do not have to comply with the act, but its residents would then have to use some other form of identification to board airplanes or enter secure federal facilities.
Neil Berro, director of community relations for the Coalition for a Secure Driver's License, said the Real ID Act will help deter terrorism and help prevent identify theft and fraud.
He testified in earlier hearings that Pennsylvania already has a "rigorous and complete" process for authenticating the identity of driver's license applicants and will benefit as other states have to "clean up their act."
But Andy Hoover, a community organizer and legislative assistant with the American Civil Liberties Union, said the act "is an unprecedented invasion of privacy" by creating a national database of information.
"The Real ID Act essentially turns our state driver's licenses into a national identification card," he said.
Nick Ramaglia, 26, a pharmacist tech from Pittsburgh, carried a sign in opposition to the act.
"It's really going to cost a lot of money, and it's an invasion of our privacy," he said.
Thomas, the committee chairman, said there is also a concern about the cost of implementing the act.
GEORGE MILLER can be reached at 870-1724 or by e-mail.
http://www.goerie.com/apps/pbcs.dll/art ... 64/-1/NEWS
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Real ID license actually a surveillance card
Real ID license actually a surveillance card
Kennebec Journal & Morning Sentinel 05/24/2008
All of today's: News | Sports
from the Morning Sentinel
In response to Joseph Reisert's article about Real ID driver's licenses: A Real ID driver's license would be required to enter an airport, board a plane or enter a federal building. If, rather than have a Real ID license, I decide not to enter an airport, board an airplane or enter a federal building, why do I need a Real ID driver's license to drive a car?
Ah, because an ordinary driver's license in Corporate America is used to cash checks, which are used to buy groceries and other merchandise and to pay bills for electricity, TV and telephones -- in short, checks make up the entire fabric of the corporate state.
If everyone had a Real ID, everything about a citizen could be fed into a database describing the person's income, purchases, reading habits, job description, medical records. A GPS profile could be made showing where that citizen is on the planet at any given time. A Real ID driver's license is really a surveillance card.
What Reisert seems to be saying is that to have our military empire, financed by the corporate state, we must give up freedom as a political institution and accept the fact that war is peace, freedom is slavery, ignorance is strength. Not to mention the tautology that surveillance is security.
Bob Doel
Vassalboro
http://morningsentinel.mainetoday.com/v ... 23710.html
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Real ID has so many pitfalls and not enough money to back it up
May 25, 2008
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Prepare for backups and even repeat visits to the Motor Vehicles office with the coming of Real ID. That's fair warning from the Delaware administrator about the looming federal security law that lumps counterterrorism with ordinary state transactions to license drivers.
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That is, unless Congress repeals Real ID because of its logistical and financial burdens. And there is a contingent of Washington legislators who think the law should be scrapped and redone more reasonably.
The overarching logic of Real ID is compelling after the country's tragic experience. Americans know the sorry saga of the 9/11 hijackers who passed through airport security, belatedly red-flagging failures in intelligence, aviation, immigration and border control. While in the United States, those terror plotters also opened bank accounts and obtained personal identification from several states' motor vehicles departments.
The 9/11 Commission that investigated the 2001 plot concluded, "Targeting travel is at least as powerful a weapon against terrorists as targeting their money." And the commission recommended, "The federal government should set standards for the issuance of birth certificates and sources of identification, such as drivers licenses."
But the execution of the Real ID law is a huge technical challenge. The law ordered that driver licenses and identification with photos be tamperproof, machine-readable and verify U.S. citizenship or legal immigration status.
So every issuing jurisdiction must not only supply such materials and do background checks to vouch that an applicant's documents are valid, all these old and new documents must be interchangeable everywhere for 245 million U.S. drivers.
Americans are inherently jealous of their liberties and privacy, even though modern interaction at every level of life involves institutional accumulation of personal information literally from birth. Of necessity, we all have documents and records -- regardless of conspiracy theorists' dire scenarios about bureaucratic intrusion.
Fraud does have potentially disastrous consequences in national security as well as personal identity theft by common criminals. Yet U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Akaka of Hawaii, of the Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, fears Real ID might actually make identity theft "one-stop shopping" for thieves.
Moreover, he and others cite the huge financial gap between varying multi-billion-dollar estimates for Real ID's execution and the paltry millions allocated to help states do all this work. Sen. Akaka and several cosponsors are for repeal.
Since the Homeland Security Department's creation, recurring disappointments and delays with technology still being invented for such tasks certainly raise doubts about Real ID's effective start date of 2010.
With a year and a half to go before Real ID is supposed to be ready to roll, it's time to decide if it's really possible to link up such a fail-safe system, and at what price. And will the government back up a federal security commitment with the right amount of money?
If this is only going to be an unreliable make-work project, pull the plug.
http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs ... 04/OPINION
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Taking a second look at the Real ID Act
William Jackson | Not too late to debate
Cybereye—commentary: Taking a second look at the Real ID Act
By William Jackson
A BIPARTISAN BLAST was launched against the Real ID Act earlier this month at a forum the Cato Institute called the beginning of a long-overdue debate on the law establishing mandatory national standards for state driver’s licenses and identity cards.
“Invasive, expensive and an affront to all of those who cherish privacy rightsâ€
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textbook fascism real id
United States Against Real ID
Press Conference of Nov. 14, 2007, 12:00 p.m.
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania State Capitol
Called by Senator Mike Folmer, Pennsylvania State Senate
Presenters:
Pennsylvania Senator Mike Folmer
South Carolina State Representative Eric Bedingfield
South Carolina State Senator Larry Martin (given by Bedingfield)
Maine State Senator Libby Mitchell
Maine State Representative Scott Lansley
Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap
Pennsylvania State Rep. Sam Rohrer
Pennsylvania State Rep. Babette Josephs
Penna. Legislative Director, ACLU Larry Frankel
National Veterans Committee on Constitutional Affairs
(State coordinator James R. Compton, III, CDR USN Ret. &
Aaron Bolinger, Legislative Director)
Page 2
Page 3
Page 4
Statement of Eric Bedingfield
South Carolina (R-District 28)
November 14, 2007, Real ID Press Conference, Harrisburg, PA
It’s wonderful to be here today along with so many legislators and State Leaders in this, our
Sister State of Pennsylvania. This union is indeed strong, and can be proven all the more so, if
we stand as United States Against Real ID.
In South Carolina, as in Pennsylvania, my colleagues heard a message loud and clear from our
people. Individuals representing women’s groups, assorted theologies, veterans, and many more
poured into the House Committee room this year when we took up the issue of Real ID in the
form of S 449. We amended that bill in committee to be the shortest and perhaps strongest anti-
Real ID message sent to Congress thus far. In total, the bill reads:
“The State shall not participate in the implementation of the Federal Real ID Act.â€
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ACLU Opposes Real ID Act
ACLU Opposes Real ID Act
By IAN HICKS Staff Writer
POSTED: May 29, 2008
The Wheeling chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union voted unanimously Wednesday to oppose the Real ID Act, a controversial law mandating national standards for state-issued drivers’ licenses and identification cards.
The Real ID Act, which was signed into law May 11, 2005, set national standards for what data is included on identification cards, what documentation must be presented when applying and for the sharing of motor vehicle databases between states. The original deadline for compliance was to be May 11 of this year, but the federal government has extended that deadline to Dec. 31, 2009.
Much of the opposition to the act stems from the use of machine-readable technology, which is a standardized two-dimensional bar code. Some believe this could enable the federal government to more easily track the activities of Americans.
“The government wants to keep track of everyone. It is (the ACLU’s) mission to protect civil and human rights, including privacy,â€
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Diverse group is unified on need to serve everyone
Diverse group is unified on need to serve everyone
By JASON CLAYWORTH • jclayworth@dmreg.com • May 29, 2008
The Democratic candidates in Iowa House District 65 are, like the Des Moines area they're from, diverse.
And they all say they're dedicated to embracing that diversity.
"I think the important thing is that you're willing to engage all groups of people," said Tyler Reedy, a former community organizer for Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement. "It's not necessarily the color of your skin, sexual orientation or religion or any of those things. It's the willingness to engage people and figure out their issues, no matter who you are."
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Of Iowa's 150 state lawmakers, only one is openly gay: Sen. Matt McCoy, a Des Moines Democrat. Four lawmakers are black: the District 65 incumbent, Wayne Ford, who is seeking re-election, plus Reps. Ako Abdul-Samad of Des Moines, Deborah Berry of Waterloo and Helen Miller of Fort Dodge. Iowa also has one lawmaker who is a native of India, Rep. Swati Dandekar, a Democrat from Marion.
Charles Hoffman, the third Democratic candidate in District 65, is openly gay. Minority representation is important, he said, because minorities work as role models while helping to serve the needs of all Iowans. However, he's not seeking votes based on his sexuality. So far, the issue has rarely surfaced in his campaign, he said.
"I don't think candidates should win just because of their sexual orientation or color but what they can do for the people of the district, and if they happen to be minorities, that is great," Hoffman said.
Ford has served in District 65 since 1997 and is the longest-serving black state legislator in the state's history. When elected, he was the only black legislator.
"I am, of course, pleased to see that more minorities are running for office," Ford said. "My job is to continue to represent all the people living in House District 65, no matter their race, religion, creed, age, gender or sexual orientation."
Some areas of District 65 have more than 30 percent minorities, according the U.S. census. Minorities make up 7 percent of Iowa's total population.
The candidates differ in their strategies for encouraging economic growth. Hoffman's focus is on small-business development. Ford emphasizes alternative energy and "green" companies. Reedy puts a priority on cutting health-care costs.
The winner of Tuesday's primary will face Republican David Barnett of Des Moines in the general election.
CANDIDATE Q&A
What is the most important thing the Legislature should do to encourage economic growth in Iowa in the next two years? In the next 10 years?
HOFFMAN: Economic growth in Iowa is possible if lawmakers encourage the development of small businesses, Hoffman said. He cited a Small Business Administration report that said 25.5 million small businesses in the United States generate more than half of the nation's gross domestic product; represent 26 percent of America's exporters; create 80 percent of all the net new jobs in the United States; and employ 52 percent of the private sector work force.
FORD: Lawmakers must continue to bring new companies to Iowa, especially those that deal with alternative energy and the "green" movement, Ford said. The new companies would bring more jobs and new families, he said. "New businesses have already helped many Iowans find good jobs, and we must make sure that we continue to support and promote this growth," Ford said.
REEDY: Lawmakers should focus on health care issues in the next two years as a way to encourage economic development, Reedy said. He advocates a single-payer universal health insurance program at the state level. The program would cost the average Iowan less than the current private health insurance system, Reedy said. Over the next 10 years, the state should focus on creating a green economy, Reedy said. "There is a lot of work to be done if we are to free ourselves from our dependence on foreign oil and do so in a way that will not hasten global climate change," he said.
What is your top goal for education in Iowa, and what steps should be taken in the next two years?
HOFFMAN: Lawmakers should focus on Head Start programs, as well as kindergarten through 12th grade. For students in the early and middle grades, lawmakers should encourage achievement above the national average, Hoffman said. And for students at the end of their high school career, lawmakers should work to provide academic preparation and make sure they are ready for postsecondary education, he added. "Let's make sure our children are ready for the first grade, and if not, get them the appropriate help needed to advance," he said.
FORD: Quality and accessibility are Ford's top education goals. He believes the state should focus on expansion of early education. "We know that those students who start kindergarten with better skills tend to do better throughout their school years," Ford said.
REEDY: Career and technical education programs should be expanded to prepare students, Reedy said. The programs would help fill the state's need for skilled laborers and give students the skills to obtain jobs that pay well, he said.
What, if anything, should state government do to address issues related to illegal immigrants in Iowa?
HOFFMAN: Iowa lawmakers need to hold companies more accountable for hiring illegal immigrants, Hoffman said. He does not believe that the Real ID Act will be effective. The 2005 federal law imposes certain authentication standards for state driver's licenses and state identification cards in order for them to be accepted by the federal government for official purposes. "We must remember that immigrants to the U.S., whether their status is legal resident, citizen or undocumented person, all have the same rights under the Constitution," Hoffman said.
FORD: The state must abide by the mandates set by the federal government, Ford said. People or businesses who exploit illegal immigrants for profit should face penalties, he said. However, the state should ensure that the young children of immigrants are safe and healthy, he said.
REEDY: The immigration issue must be addressed immediately for the sake of immigrants and society at large, Reedy said. However, he believes that most of the changes must be made at the federal level by changing trade policies and immigration quotas. "While we are waiting for this to be addressed at the federal level, the state should protect human rights and due process, and encourage families to learn English," Reedy said.
Should the state raise the tax on motor fuels to raise money for road repairs?
HOFFMAN: No. Hoffman said he doesn't believe that raising the motor fuels tax would be appropriate for raising money needed for road repair. Instead, he believes lawmakers should work to cut unnecessary spending. "With the skyrocketing price of gas and families struggling to make ends meet, I do not think we should burden hardworking families to pay yet another tax," Hoffman said.
FORD: No. The rise in the price of gas is already a burden on most Iowans, Ford said. "The people in my district cannot afford higher taxes," he said.
REEDY: No. The funds could be raised by increasing fees for vehicle registration and licensing, Reedy said. The increases should be progressive by considering factors like cost of the vehicle, weight of the vehicle and fuel consumption, he said.
www.desmoinesregister.com
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A Solution to Lines at the Bureau of Motor Vehicles
A Solution to Lines at the Bureau of Motor Vehicles
Story date: 05/28/2008
By Victoria Wallack
The Bureau of Motor Vehicles is now allowing people to renew their driver's license using their old license, if it has a Maine address on it, to reduce delays that have occurred since a new law went into effect last month requiring applicants to prove they live in the state.
Those without an existing Maine license must still bring proof of residency with them to the bureau.
An act requiring a person to be a Maine resident in order to get a Maine driver's license passed with bipartisan support in April, but didn't get much attention because of the more controversial debate over the state's compliance with the federal REAL ID Act. Now the state is trying to make the law work.
"We're trying to work in a little common sense," into the process, said Secretary of State Matt Dunlap. "The intent of the law was to make sure that people getting a license for the first time were, in fact, Maine residents."
The biggest problem, he said, is people are showing up without the proper documentation and, "We have to send them away."
Dunlap estimated wait times at BMV windows have increased on average between 5 and 10 percent, although longer waits have occurred at the state's larger bureaus. The longest delay reported to him has been two hours.
The law was passed in response to federal agents cracking down on out-of-state immigrants, who were coming to Maine to get a driver's license because the state's rules were so lax. People only had to show they could pass a driver's test, but not prove they lived in Maine.
The fear was that illegal aliens were coming to Maine to get a license so they could then swap it for a license in their state of residence and use it there as a form of identification. Under state reciprocity laws, it is easier to get a license in this country if you can show you already have one.
In one instance, an immigrant living in Boston came to Maine to get a license and then used it as identification to buy a gun, which he later used in a bank robbery in Bangor.
The Legislature responded by passing a new law requiring a driver's license applicant to show proof of a Maine home address.
That new law is separate from the law passed at the end of the session that will require the state to check for legal immigration status to the US as part of the federal REAL ID program. All driver's license applicants could be asked to bring proof of their legal status, like a birth certificate or some other government-issued document. Dunlap has until Dec. 15 to get a legal immigration status check in place. The new law is being challenged by a people's veto signature drive organized by those who think it violates civil rights. If that campaign is successful, repeal of the law will appear on the November ballot.
Dunlap said the residency law that went into effect in mid-April created more delays than expected. The decision to allow people renewing their licenses to use their old one with an address, as proof of residency should help, he said.
Residents holding a license with their address on it can also now go back to using online renewal, which had been suspended after the law was passed.
Dunlap said his office is planning a public outreach campaign to make sure everybody knows about the new law. That law requires applicants to bring with them to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles a proof of residency.
Acceptable proof includes: Recent Maine driver's license with a physical address on it; tax return; paycheck stub; utility bill; document issued by a government entity; Maine vehicle registration; W-2; tax bill; conditional order of registration; Maine resident hunting or fishing license; and, a contract in the person's name such as a mortgage, lease or insurance policy.
Exemptions are allowed for persons who can prove they are on active duty in the US Armed Forces; the spouse or child of an active Armed Forces member; or, a student enrolled in a university, college or school within Maine.
Applicants need to show some documentation like a military ID; military service location papers; military dependent ID card; college ID; or a certified school record/transcript.
Those who have no documents proving they live in Maine, like people living in shelters, can get affidavits from the Bureau of Motor Vehicles that must be signed by two people who have a personal or professional relationship with the applicant, and know the person is living in Maine.
If the applicant is a minor, only one signature is needed if it is from a parent or guardian.
Dunlap is also working longer term on a problem that causes delays once every six years, dating back to the time when the state switched from four-year to six-year licenses. That blip added to the wait times several years ago.
Dunlap is experimenting with issuing licenses on a staggered basis, with some people getting licenses good for four, five, six, seven, or eight years for a pro-rated fee to help stagger the renewal load on the department.
(State House News Service)
http://www.mainelincolncountynews.com/i ... m?ID=32321
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Quote:
The Bureau of Motor Vehicles is now allowing people to renew their driver's license using their old license, if it has a Maine address on it, to reduce delays that have occurred since a new law went into effect last month requiring applicants to prove they live in the state.
Talk about bypassing the Real ID.
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Legislators reflect on recently concluded session
Legislators reflect on recently concluded session
Stillwater Courier
Published Wednesday, May 28, 2008
State legislators who represent the Stillwater area were asked to comment on the recently-completed 2008 legislative session. Here are a variety of thoughts regarding the 2008 Minnesota legislative session:
Rep. Julie Bunn, DFL-Lake Elmo, District 56A
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“In these challenging economic times, we stuck to the basics and delivered on fiscally responsible legislation to secure long-term economic vitality and prosperity for our state. Lawmakers worked hard throughout the summer to prepare legislation on everything from health care reform to transportation so that we could hit the ground running from the very first day of the 2008 session,â€
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The Great Free State
Elizabeth Marsh Cupino
The Great Free State
Originally published May 29, 2008
Mountain Motors
I work up in Pennsylvania these days, and I am the only employee out of 20 who lives below the Mason-Dixon line. I love to brag about our Great Free State of Maryland.
You can just imagine how popular I am at work, but I'm merely providing facts and truth. Maryland kicks Pennsyltucky's Hillary-voting butt in every conceivable way. Maryland is America in miniature -- with ocean beaches, wide bay, rolling farmland, and green mountains east to west, and Charm City, and Fredericktowne, and history that beats the "P" out of Philadelphia.
Maryland was pivotal in the American Revolution. Baltimore was the seat of the Continental Congress for awhile. Frederick's own Catoctin Furnace furnished 100 tons of shells used at Yorktown. The list is as long as your arm. And Maryland was a hub in the Underground Railroad and a major battleground in the Civil War.
O say, can't you see? Maryland is the birthplace of American liberty.
We're still trying. Maryland is one of only five states holding out on compliance with the federal REAL ID program. For the moment, anyway.
It looks like Gov. Martin O'Malley will ultimately cave in, toe the line with the unfunded REAL ID mandate, and retool the system that issues driver's licenses and other IDs. Otherwise, a Maryland ID will not be adequate documentation to get you on a plane to Cancun or into a Smithsonian exhibit.
I have a Real Problem with REAL ID. It's not so much about proof of citizenship. It's about Big Brother.
The Real purpose of REAL ID is to get every American citizen logged into the federal government's big central databases. Don't believe me? Check out Section 203 of the REAL ID Act: "Linking of Databases." Why isn't anybody picketing about this outside Maryland's MVA offices?
I'm not trying to say that the REAL ID program is, like, the Mark of the Beast or anything. I'm just saying it's another tentacle of a giant, radioactive federal surveillance octopus reaching in and attaching its suckers to our private information.
Besides the National Crime Information System and the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (which tracks everyone who's ever had a mental illness, been dishonorably discharged from the armed forces, or been "an unlawful user of or addicted to any controlled substance"), there's a big push by the FBI to get fingerprints and DNA from every person in this country. Congress recently passed legislation to prevent discrimination on the basis of genetic information, but somehow I'm not reassured.
The Bush Administration is establishing nationwide interoperable (shared) electronic medical records. It will be a requirement by 2014. As if giving the IRS all our financial information wasn't enough -- now your bout with Hep C or chronic fatigue syndrome will be captured and catalogued in a federal system.
If I had any confidence in the feds' motives or ability to manage, protect or use our private information in a responsible, ethical way, it might be different. But I don't. (Can you say habeas corpus?)
REAL ID and all these other programs constitute Real infringements on our privacy and our freedom. I think Maryland should hold out as long as possible on REAL ID, if only to make a point. Maryland doesn't take too kindly to being bullied.
I'm sure you all have our state anthem memorized ... so everybody sing! "The despot's heel is on thy shore, Maryland! His torch is at thy temple door, Maryland!"
http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sectio ... ryID=75590
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Big Brother, or Big Bother? Creeping Closer to a National ID
Big Brother, or Big Bother? Creeping Closer to a National ID for Everyone?
May 30th, 2008 by DR. CLARISSA PINKOLA ESTÉS, TMV Columnist
It began this week. On May 26, 2008, passengers over the age of 18 are now required to show a U.S. federal
or state-issued photo ID that contains one’s
name,
date of birth,
gender,
expiration date
“and a tamper-resistant feature.â€
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Passport Needed for Travel
Passport Needed for Travel
May 29, 2008
By April Drew
NEW security measures by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) means that travelers who do not have official U.S. identification when traveling within the U.S. will be required, as of May 26, to produce a passport from their country of origin.
In the past Irish immigrants living in the U.S. were allowed to use their Irish driver’s license as proof of identification while traveling on flights between states. Since Monday, May 26, Irish and other non-U.S. citizens traveling within the U.S. will be required to produce their passport as proof of identity if they do not have a U.S. issued document such as a driver’s license or permanent resident green card.
In a statement explaining why the new measures are being enforced, the TSA said, “This standardization of the list of accepted documents better aligns TSA with other DHS components, including Customs and Border Protection, and REAL ID benchmarks.â€
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Alaska Becomes 9th State to Reject Real ID (5/29/2008)
Alaska Becomes 9th State to Reject Real ID (5/29/2008)
Movement within states still very much alive
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
CONTACT: (202) 675-2312, media@dcaclu.org
WASHINGTON – Yesterday, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin returned a bill to the legislature that would prevent the state from funding implementation of the federal Real ID Act. By neither signing nor vetoing the bill 20 days after overwhelming passage in the legislature, Governor Palin allowed the bill to become law, effective August of this year. Real ID is a federal mandate imposing a national ID card on all Americans through their state drivers' licenses.
"Alaska has joined a growing nationwide movement against Real ID, and by allowing this legislation to become law, Governor Palin has made Alaska the 9th state to pass a law prohibiting compliance," said Barry Steinhardt, director of the ACLU Technology and Liberty Program. "The act was hastily passed by Congress without receiving the proper assessment of cost and implementation and is now being forced on the states by administration officials who will not be around in 2017, when final implementation is projected to occur. As the Department of Homeland Security continues its practice of kicking the can down the road, states are continuing to stand up for their residents' privacy and reject Real ID. "
The Real ID Act of 2005 mandates that all states have compliant identification cards consistent with federal regulations, as well as requiring that all Americans' private information be held in a giant federal database – the cost and security of which is unknown. The states' response to the passage of Real ID has been steady. To date, 19 states have passed either resolutions or statutes against the program, including nine that have opted out completely.
"Governor Palin and the Alaska legislature deserve praise from all Alaskans for standing up to the federal government," added Jeffrey Mittman, executive director of the ACLU of Alaska. "Officials of both parties came together to pass legislation that will not only protect the privacy of Alaskans, but will protect their pocketbooks as well by rejecting Real ID's massive financial burden."
Steinhardt added, "By allowing this vital legislation to become law, Governor Palin has opened the door for other governors to do the same."
http://www.aclu.org/privacy/gen/35470prs20080529.html
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FEDS BACKTRACKING: AN ADMISSION ON NATIONAL ID
FEDS BACKTRACKING: AN ADMISSION ON NATIONAL ID
By: Devvy
April 7, 2008
© 2008 - NewsWithViews.com
Many Americans believe the push for a national ID came about because of 911. The same applies to the nefarious and unnecessary Department of Homeland Security. Wrong on both accounts. Back on July 22, 1999, Wired.com carried an article titled: 'Your license or your life':
"At a hearing Thursday, the House Immigration subcommittee will debate the future of modified driver licenses, which detractors derisively call a "national ID card."
"The ACLU is part of a coalition with other liberal groups, such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Electronic Privacy Information Center. But the alliance also includes arch-conservative organizations: the Eagle Forum, the Free Congress Foundation, and Americans for Tax Reform.
"The organizations found common ground in what they uniformly believe is a serious threat to privacy. "Proposals for a national ID have been consistently rejected in the United States as an infringement of personal liberty," said a recent coalition letter urging Congress to nix the current law. "We care about this hearing because there are other members that are receptive to privacy concerns. While Lamar Smith is on the other side, other members need to hear what's going on," said Lori Cole, a spokesman for the Eagle Forum's office in Washington. For his part, Smith angrily denies that he's Big Brother incarnate in a note he posted on his Web site: "I do not support a national ID card and don't know anyone who does."
On February 9, 1999, The Dallas Morning News carried a piece titled, 'U.S. Quietly Upgrading Homeland Defense Plan': WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - "National security officials fear that for the first time in nearly two centuries a foreign power may be about to cross the oceans to invade the United States... With little fanfare, federal, state and local emergency management leaders for the last three years have been building a homeland defense."
On November 25, 2002, Dictator George Bush, signed the Homeland Security Act into law which created this behemoth that was already in the works long before the convenient event called 911.
On May 10, 2005, without these poltroons in Congress reading this monstrosity (except Ron Paul), Congress passed this National ID Act to track your every move under the pretext it would be a tool for fighting the "war on terror" while leaving our borders open and over run since 1986. Actually, none of these Nazi-style tools for totalitarian rule is new. Back on February 7, 1935, John D. Rockefeller, pulled a publicity stunt at the Federal Department of Justice. He got fingerprinted to publicize a new campaign for a national fingerprint registration law. Thankfully, it was defeated.
Almost two dozen states have been openly opposing and fighting Michael Chertoff, one of the most evil people ever to hold a cabinet position in the history of this country and his Department of Fatherland Security. Let's call these agencies for what they are and quit fooling around with flowery language over tea and crumpets. The Internet has been hot with this issue for the past couple of years and I've been putting in my two cents worth along with others who value their freedom and liberty over a perceived and false sense of security with mother government at the helm. What this whole issue rests on is states rights vs the feds trying once again to force the states to buckle under to their demands.
Many states have expressed a problem with the National ID over money because it's a unfunded mandate. There are a couple of considerations here that are of paramount importance: (1) Will this National ID do a single thing to fight this nebulous and all encompassing "war on terrorism" or the illegals invasion and, (2) can Congress just pass this law and force it down the throat of the states while threatening to withhold the natural rights of the citizens of those states? The answer is no and no. I invite you to study the links at the bottom of this column for factual information.
Shame, shame, on Lou Dobbs. From the git-go he has been a staunch supporter of this anti-freedom National ID and constantly berates anyone who opposes it:
"DOBBS: Yes. I think that a lot of these states -- I mean, you know, for example, you mentioned Maine, I mean, they'd just as soon give driver's licenses away to illegal aliens. They're not really too concerned about national security. They're not too concerned about the national interest or doing the right thing."
Opposing Real I.D. Lou Dobbs, April 2, 2008: "The Real I.D. Act is a federal law intended to protect our national security. The government has given all 50 states and the District of Columbia extensions to comply with Real I.D.’s requirements. But South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford says he wants no part of it. Why? For one reason, the law was crammed into a South Asian tsunami relief bill, with no debate in either house of Congress. For another, it's an unfunded mandate that passes around $25 billion in costs to states." Click here for Lou’s debate with South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford on Real I.D; short video. Dobbs has done a superior job on many issues, immigration, outsourcing of jobs and the threat from Communist Red China. However, his defense of any law that comes out of Congress is one you just can't object to that's "so good for the country" is simply naive.
Of course, Gov. Sanford is a stand up guy for not breaking under pressure from a thug like Chertoff: COLUMBIA - "Governor Mark Sanford on Monday responded to the federal government's REAL ID mandate, asking that our state's citizens not be treated differently from other states that have laws on their books preventing the implementation of the national ID card program.
"In a letter sent today to the US Department of Homeland Security, Governor Sanford pointed to a law passed by the General Assembly and signed by Gov. Sanford in 2007, which prevents the state from complying with the Real ID Act. Homeland Security has said that an extension request is a form of compliance with Real ID. The governor has respectfully asked the Department of Homeland Security not to inconvenience South Carolinians who fly or enter federal buildings, given that our state's driver's licenses are already some of the most secure in the country - and given what DHS has elected to do with other states that have the same law.
"At the end of the day, I'm duty-bound to uphold the laws of our state, which right now say we can't comply with Real ID," Gov. Sanford said. "That being said, I do fall into the camp that believes Real ID is poor public policy for any number of reasons, and we have some real questions as to whether the benefits in terms of security outweigh the costs in terms of time and money. We think the state legislature did the right thing last year when it said no to Real ID, and I'm going to keep working with Homeland Security and with other governors to keep this law from negatively impacting our state."
This doesn't sit well with the powers that be, Chertoff's overlords, who demand that every American be tracked like a dog. Every movement, every purchase, every destination - EXACTLY the same as Hitler did under the Third Reich. As for the unfunded mandate part: The cost of this National ID to the 50 states is estimated (which always means it will cost twice as much) at ONE BILLION DOLLARS. Some of the states are demanding Congress give them the money. Listen up: There is NO money in the U.S. Treasury. It is overdrawn $9.4 TRILLION DOLLARS right now, but Congress is going to borrow this BILLION DOLLARS from the privately owned Federal Reserve to fund this nightmare, further enslaving we the people, our children and grand children FOR NOTHING.
As I have pointed out many times, Congress has been slapped by the U.S. Supreme Court many times for overstepping their legislative authority, see United States v. Lopez (93-1260), 514 U.S. 549 (1995). The Tenth Amendment issue was raised back in 1993 when Marxist Hillary Clinton was trying to ram an unconstitutional national health care system down our throats and got the big memo stopping her dead, see here. The courts have consistently upheld our right to travel, however, the threat by Congress is that if a state refuses to get on their knees and force their citizens to use this National ID, you will not be able to fly on a commercial plane, ride Amtrak or enter a federal building. It's blackmail, pure and simple. Either force your citizens to accept this Nazi identification scheme or the feds will penalize them in an area Americans value highly: the right to travel. I have some choice words for Chertoff, but it is YOUR member of Congress (and mine) who voted this National ID into law and they need to be booted out of office in November.
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This fight is far from over and so far, we the people are winning. Chertoff has extended so-called deadlines to the states three different times. He KNOWS the states cannot be forced to comply with this junk law passed by evil doers and just down right fools in the U.S. Congress. Chertoff continues trying to strong arm the states and coerce them with the threat of taking away our right to travel, but in the end, we can and will defeat this guaranteed failure called a National ID. It won't work and because it will fail, the next step IS going to be forcing everyone to get a micro chip and you can take money to the bank on it.
If you haven't called your state rep and state senator and told them you will NOT surrender your state driver's license in favor of this Nazi National ID, you need to do so. Californians: Get on the phone TODAY and tell your state assembly member to vote NO on Senate Bill 60 or SB 60. It is only because millions of us have kept the heat on our state houses that we have made so much progress. Now is not the time to slack off. It only takes a minute to call; do it on your lunch hour or a break or when you have time during the day. Encourage family, friends and business associates to do the same thing. Homeland Security is OUR responsibility as I have written about until I'm blue in the face. Reconstituting the constitutional militias under the state legislatures is the only way to hold a tyrannical government at bay and secure our freedom and liberty. Make that phone call because we are in the fight of our lives, make no mistake about it. Flood your state house. If your state has said no, call your state rep and state senator and tell them thank you, job well done. They need to know YOU are behind them in this fight.
One other issue that we must ALL help fight is the National Animal Identification System. This is another monstrous waste of time and money hurting our ranchers and fellow Americans who simply own their own animals and stock not even for sale. Please see the links below and then get on the phone to your member of Congress and tell them to stop this nonsense. Stop hurting our farmers, ranchers and fellow Americans. It never ends and it will NOT change until we get these crooks, cowards and functionally iliterate people thrown out of Congress. Stop cherry picking one issue that's your favorite and vote that incumbent back into office. It's what they've been doing for decades as a collective body that is killing this country and we're on the cliff.
Speaking of states rights, hand in hand with all these freedom crushing pieces of legislation since 2001, is the issue of the fraudulent ratification of the Seventeenth Amendment; see links below for history. I have been on this issue since 1993 and will stay on it until one state legislature passes a resolution which acknowledges this amendment to the U.S. Constitution was never ratified, send it to their Attorney General and file a lawsuit which would go straight to the U.S. Supreme Court for a resolution. If the states don't reclaim their rights, smarmy sycophants like Sen. Lindsay Graham and John McCain, both fierce promoters of lawlessness, will continue to serve in office under a law that does NOT exist.
I encourage you to get Bill Benson's incontrovertible proof the Seventeenth Amendment was never ratified and get a copy to your state rep and state senator. Make an appt or send it with a letter registered mail. Our republic cannot survive with this bastardized form of government. We must return to the formula our Founding Fathers used when they birthed this republic that worked for hundreds of years. We the people would be represented by representatives in the House of Representatives by direct vote. The states would each receive equal representation with two federal senators appointed by the state legislature to go to Washington, DC, to protect the interests of the state. That second part was wiped out by the fraudulent ratification of the Seventeenth Amendment. It must be exposed and remedied.
Last year I stopped in to see one of America's finest state senators, Karen Johnson, in the Arizona State Legislature. At that time, I gave Sen. Johnson several copies of Bill Benson's proof. Sen. Johnson has introduced Senate Concurrent Memorial 1002; click here. This is a first step, but we have to go for the resolution route and then sue the federal government so that it goes to the U.S. Supreme Court. These scalawags in the U.S. Senate are never going to give up their power, it has to be forced via the court. If you live in the State of Arizona, get on this with your state rep (click here) and your state senator (click here) and God willing, Arizona could be the first state to take this to the high court. Thank you, Senator Johnson, Representative Mark Anderson, Senator Jack Harper and Representative Russell Pearce.
Change cannot happen unless Americans fully understand the genesis of these issues plaguing our country and that takes research time. Without understanding how all these systems came about and the law regarding enforcement, Americans will just continue to fight a losing battle. Change cannot and will not happen when the same body (Congress) continues to pursue and fund the same failed policies. Change cannot and will not happen in this country until we clean house by the hundreds in Congress and the state houses. Nancy Pelosi is one of the most dangerous people in this country. A complete and total failure who has been in office for 21 years. Go down the list of Congress critters and you'll see the majority have been there for decades and the result is this mess we have today. Why continue rewarding the same people who have brought this country to its knees?
Our destiny is in our hands and time is running out.
Research links:
1 - Update on Bill Benson's critical First Amendment case
2 - States must force 17th Amendment showdown
3 - The gray wolf, the ESA & the 17th Amendment
National ID:
1 - New Hampshire Joins Montana in Real ID Victory
2 - A National ID Bill Masquerading as Immigration Reform
3 - National ID Cards Won't Stop Terrorism or Illegal Immigration
4 - Will you accept a national ID card?
Homeland Security:
1 - "Homeland Security" -- For What and For Whom? 3-8-05
2 - Are You Doing Your Constitutional Duty for "Homeland Security"?
3 - The False Alternatives Behind "Homeland Security" 2-2-06
NAIS:
1 - NO NAIS - Fight it
2 - Stop It
3 - The National Animal Identification System: a threat to local food
http://www.newswithviews.com/Devvy/kidd355.htm
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Time to Start Doing American-Style Politics
Embassy, June 4th, 2008
CANADA IN WASHINGTON
Time to Start Doing American-Style Politics
By Leslie Campbell
I have to admit to a sense of guilty pleasure in imagining that the Canadian government did something so dastardly, so, well, American, in purposely leaking the transcript of a discussion between an Obama advisor and Chicago consul-general, Georges Rioux.
Imagine my disappointment in discovering that the possible leaker wasn't a Canadian official after all, but, according to the Toronto Star, a young Republican operative who somehow redirected a copy of the internal memo to the Associated Press. Of course, in hindsight, it makes perfect sense—it would have been very un-Canadian to have interfered so blatantly in U.S. politics.
Un-Canadian, maybe, but not necessarily unthinkable. While purposely embarrassing a presidential candidate should always be off limits, Canadian officials can't avoid U.S. politics because many of the issues in the Canada-U.S relationship have intensely political domestic content.
Access to powerful lawmakers is key, yet diplomats have neither money nor votes and are therefore low on most lawmakers' agendas. There is tremendous pressure to court politicians, but few levers available to official Canadians in Washington.
[/b]
Political Ottawa's frustration with lack of access in Washington may have been behind what now appears to be an ill-fated attempt to place an American political operative inside the embassy.
The young Republican named by the Toronto Star as the likely Obama leaker (although he denies it) is Frank Sensenbrenner, son of Wisconsin Member of Congress and Canada nemesis F. James Sensenbrenner. Sensenbrenner Sr. is the author of the REAL ID Act and a strong proponent of passports at the northern border who once claimed that the "enclave of South Toronto" was a terrorist breeding ground.
The younger Sensenbrenner caused a sensation in the Canadian Embassy when he was hired on a short-term contract in 2006 because his employment was sponsored by Stockwell Day and the Department of Public Safety. Sensenbrenner's introduction to the Canadian government seems to have been orchestrated by Gerald Chipeur, a Calgary lawyer, Conservative Party political activist and sometime U.S. lobbyist who befriended Sensenbrenner and recommended him to Day.
The thought of a political outsider in the embassy created such hostility that embassy employees were sent to hunt down information on Chipeur. It was discovered that he registered in Washington in April 2006 under the Foreign Agent Registration Act as a representative of the Department of Public Safety, under retainer to Stockwell Day chief of staff Neil Drabkin.
Chipeur's well-publicized ties to leading Republicans and formal link with a Canadian government department could have made him a recipient of the Chicago consulate's Obama memo and may have cast suspicion on him as the possible leaker. That possibility was not considered in the Privy Council Office's investigation.
Once hired, Sensenbrenner was promptly consigned to what some call the "intern farm" in the bowels of the embassy and completely ignored by Canadian diplomats. After six unhappy months, he moved on, tired of being marginalized and disillusioned with his brief stint within the Canadian government. Some who worked with him empathize, saying that he tried to offer suggestions and was willing to facilitate political contacts but was constantly rebuffed.
Less political files are handled well through normal diplomatic channels. Canada enjoys easy access to the State Department officials assigned to the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, Canadian military representatives work well with the Pentagon, security officials liaise with their counterparts, and Canada's representatives to the World Bank, Organization of American States (OAS) and the United Nations enjoy a good reputation and good relations.
Unfortunately, the most vexing matters in the Canada-U.S. relationship don't lie with the World Bank, the OAS or even the State Department. The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative was a response to political concerns about border security after 9/11. Softwood lumber tariffs are demanded by the U.S. industry and their political backers, and NAFTA is being criticized on the left and the right by politicians reacting to domestic concern about jobs and paychecks.[/b]
Bush Administration officials often agree with Canada's concerns, especially when it comes to trade restrictions, but they can be powerless in the face of Congressional action and industry lobbies. Unlike Canada, where the government's rules are final and definitive, individual elected representatives make laws in the U.S., often designing earmarks to help specific interests in their districts and modifying bills with the help of a few like-minded supporters.
While hiring the son of a hostile Member of Congress wasn't the most astute move, the sentiment was probably right. It wouldn't hurt to have some sage American political advice on quick offer inside the embassy or to have several people on staff who can leverage key political meetings.
Some would argue that the same access can be secured by hiring outside lobbyists. While lobbyists are an accepted part of doing business in Washington, they seldom have the power they tout, and are best used as a judicious part of a larger strategy.
Some Canadian observers were aghast at the perceived slight to Obama arising from the NAFTA leak, but others enjoyed the rush of seeing Canada have a real impact on U.S. politics. Rather than fleeing from further political interventions, we should learn how to do American politics right—even if it means introducing politics to diplomacy.
Leslie Campbell is a senior associate at the Washington-based National Democratic Institute. The views expressed are his own.
editor@embassymag.ca
http://www.embassymag.ca
Interesting way to get the governments working as one......
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Ryberg has served us well in Senate
Ryberg has served us well in Senate
Michael E. Simons| Letter to the Editor
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
COMMENTPRINTShare
Here's why I recently voted absentee for Greg Ryberg in the South Carolina Senate District 24 race: Sen. Ryberg has been a consistent taxpayer advocate and watchdog on our behalf.
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My wife, Vicki, nominated Sen. Ryberg for the 2007 Friend of the Taxpayers Award for his work during the 2006 legislative session, including:
- leading efforts to reform the South Carolina Retirement System (S. 357);
- sponsoring a bill allowing the state Department of Transportation to use a money-saving design-build method in future projects (S. 1365);
- fighting for private property rights against eminent domain abuse following the Kelo case (S. 1030).
Sen. Ryberg fought against the ill-conceived Tax Increment Financing legislation that led up to the $36 million bond giveaway that Aiken County taxpayers rejected (S. 986). He has voted to uphold many of Gov. Mark Sanford's vetoes, a classic case being the veto against the appropriations bill that would have raised government spending by 13.5 percent.
This year, Sen. Ryberg was one of only two state senators who stood against a concurrent resolution on Real ID for the correct reason -- because he knew that requesting an extension on the deadline to comply was the first step toward full compliance, which was against state law. And although I am in favor of a cigarette tax increase as a means by which to discourage young people from beginning health-injuring behavior, I applaud Sen. Ryberg's vote against H. 3567 because it increases the overall tax burden on South Carolinians and perpetuates two other inherently unfair burdens on taxpayers.
After carefully evaluating Sen. Ryberg and his opponent, I concluded that change for the sake of change -- that is, "it's just time for someone new" -- is not a good enough reason to cast a vote. I am pleased to have voted for Greg Ryberg for Senate District 24, and urge others to do the same.
Michael E. Simons
New Ellenton, S.C.
http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/06 ... 0950.shtml
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Driver's license changes on hold
June 8, 2008 - 12:50AM
BARRY SMITH
FREEDOM RALEIGH BURE
Freedom Raleigh Bureau
Sweeping changes in the way driver's licenses are issued that were brought on by the Real ID Act have been placed on hold in North Carolina.
"The Real ID Act is pretty much at a standstill nationwide," said Marge Howell, a spokeswoman for the Division of Motor Vehicles.
As a means of complying with the federal Real ID Act, the state DMV had planned on implementing a requirement that people who apply for a new or renewed driver's license start producing documentation showing the motorist's proof of identity and legal address beginning Dec. 1. That has now been delayed.
Another change, set to begin on July 1, requires the DMV to mail a motorist's license to a residential address instead of instantly issuing a license. Howell said that program won't go into effect statewide at the beginning of July. Instead, the DMV plans to phase that program in.
The DMV plans to test out the central issuance program in one area of the state, likely the Lillington area, for 60 days before phasing in the program statewide.
Howell said DMV officials want to take their time and work out the kinks before phasing the program in to other parts of the state.
"It won't be like a light switch and we're in your neighborhood the next day," Howell said.
Currently, when a motorist goes to the DMV to get a driver's license, after completing appropriate tests and payment of the license, the DMV issues the license on the spot.
Once the central issuance program is implemented, the motorist will no longer receive his or her license at the DMV office. Instead, a temporary driving permit, which will not be considered valid for identification purposes, will be issued. The driver's license with then be mailed out of a central location to the driver's residential address.
This presented problems for some motorists who live in areas where the post office does not have residential delivery. Some other people, for various reasons, choose to get their residential mail delivered to a post office box rather put up a mail box at their residence.
Howell said that the DMV is still working with the U.S. Postal Service to resolve those problems.
Meanwhile, uncertainty about the Real ID Act has prompted the DMV to put plans to implement extensive document requirements on hold.
"Since there is now pending legislation affecting the Real ID Act, we are not requesting that same documentation that was going to be necessary if we were compliant with the Real ID Act," Howell said.
Jennifer Rudinger, executive director of the ALCU of North Carolina, said she isn't surprised to see North Carolina and other states have logistical problems implementing the requirements of the Real ID Act.
"People realize they have neither the technology or the funding or the manpower to be able to pull this off," Rudinger said. "It's a law that has taken a number of people by surprise."
The ACLU has called the Real ID Act the "Real Nightmare," saying it in effect would become a national ID card, since states would be required to share databases.
Federal officials say the Real ID Act of 2005 is intended as a tool to battle terrorism. People boarding commercial aircraft, entering federal buildings or nuclear power plants would be required to produce an identification card compliant with the Real ID Act.
Driver's license examiners will still be requiring Social Security cards, and the information on a motorists Social Security account will have to match that on the driver's license. That means that names will have to match.
Since the DMV requires the motorist's full name on the driver's license, the motorist's Social Security account will have to have the same full name listed.
http://www.enctoday.com/news/_57298_jdn ... tml/_.html