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Gov. Patrick Criticizes Real ID Act
Gov. Patrick Criticizes Real ID Act
By Anne Noyes
BOSTON, Mass. - May 16, 2007 - The Patrick Administration is asking the federal government to loosen the requirements of the Real ID Act, which mandates stricter security measures on drivers licenses in all 50 states.
In a letter to the Department of Homeland Security this month, Registrar of Motor Vehicles Anne Collins said that the Real ID Act would require cumbersome documentation and would cost the state some $200 million over five years.
Collins expects federal officials may relax the law. "I think they want to see progress, see improvements," she said. "They've now heard from a lot of states that without a phased plan, they're going to have a lot more states opting out than opting in."
If a state opts out of the Real ID Act, its drivers' licenses would no longer be considered valid identification for boarding planes, entering some federal buildings, and other uses.
http://www.wbur.org/news/2007/67213_20070516.asp
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Critics say strict standards for drivers will hike cost, ris
Critics say strict standards for drivers will hike cost, risks
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Elizabeth Auster
Plain Dealer Bureau
Washington - So you think getting a driver's license is a hassle now? Just wait.
As the federal government inches closer to strict national standards for driver's licenses in an effort to keep them from would-be terrorists, critics warn that the new system will be more costly and cumbersome. Critics say it also will potentially expose more Americans to identity theft and government snooping by placing large amounts of personal information into government databases.
About 10 states have passed bills or resolutions opposing the new approach, and legislation is pending in other states. Participation is voluntary for states, but there is a catch: If states bow out, their citizens won't be able to use licenses or other state-issued ID cards to board commercial airplanes or enter federal facilities.
In Ohio, officials are moving to comply with the new rules, which have yet to be finalized. But while opposition in Ohio has been more muted than in some states, it is hardly invisible.
State Rep. Diana Fessler, a Miami County Republican who describes herself as "a bit of a zealot when it comes to privacy issues," this month introduced a resolution urging repeal of the Real ID Act, the 2005 federal law that required the new standards. Fessler says she fears the new system will turn licenses into national ID cards.
And Christine Link, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio, said her group hopes to mobilize opposition to the new system later this year.
Meanwhile, some prominent Ohio politicians who support the new approach for security reasons are alarmed about the cost. Two who voted for Real ID law, Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland, a former congressman, and Republican U.S. Sen. George Voinovich, say that the rules are likely to cost Ohio tens of millions of dollars and eat up more than half of the Bureau of Motor Vehicles' 2008 budget.
Ohio officials estimate it will cost $45 million to start the program and nearly $18 million annually afterward. Those estimates could rise, they say, if the federal government requires, for example, that licenses be made of a more expensive card stock, forcing motor-vehicles offices across the state to install new printers.
In a letter this month to Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, Strickland warned that unless the federal government pays for the new equipment and additional workers and offices needed to handle the new rules, Ohioans applying for licenses "are likely to face increased costs and longer waiting times."
Keith Dailey, a spokesman for Strickland, said last week that depending on what the final federal rules require, Ohioans could wait as long as two weeks for licenses and may need to make more than one trip to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles to allow time to verify identification documents they submit.
The predictions of higher costs and waiting times stem from the steps that the Homeland Security Department says will be needed to avoid the sort of laxity that allowed Sept. 11 hijackers to fraudulently obtain driver's licenses. The department this year issued proposed rules for the new system and is reviewing public comments before deciding whether to revise them.
Under the new system, Chertoff said people applying for licenses will have to present documents such as passports, birth certificates or permanent-resident cards to prove their identity and dates of birth. They also will need to show proof of their Social Security numbers and addresses.
State motor vehicles workers will have to verify the documents and scan or copy them into databases. To avoid theft of the documents, states will have to create security procedures to protect BMV offices and databases. Motor-vehicles workers will have to check with other states to make sure that people don't have licenses from multiple states. And states could have to run criminal checks on BMV employees who work on the new licenses.
"It's really a matter of common sense," Chertoff said at a news conference announcing the proposed rules. "Every citizen, it seems to me, is better off if they know that their license is harder to forge, their identity is harder to steal and their life is safer in a federal facility."
The system is supposed to start next May, but under pressure from governors and legislators concerned about the cost and complexity, Chertoff has agreed to allow states to seek extensions through December 2009. Strickland has said he plans to request an extension. By mid-2013, however, states are expected to convert all licenses and state-issued ID cards - regardless of when they come up for renewal - to the new system.
Supporters say the costs are justified by the seriousness of the problem they are designed to address. They note that the 9/11 Commission recommended new standards to make it harder to obtain ID documents fraudulently.
Janice Kephart, a former counsel to the commission, testified at a recent Senate Judiciary Committee hearing that she has no doubt the Real ID system will make Americans safer. False identification documents enabled the Sept. 11, 2001, hijackers to rent cars and homes and open bank accounts, she noted.
"The pilot who flew into the Pentagon had four IDs from four different states, and the Pennsylvania pilot had three IDs," she said.
James Carafano, a senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation, contended that the new standards are a reasonable step to curb a "Wild West" atmosphere that has allowed criminals to easily create false identity documents.
Critics, however, cited a host of concerns at the hearing - arguing that thieves and unscrupulous state workers could more easily gain access to identity documents through the new databases and that the risk of accidental dissemination of personal information on the Internet will be high.
Bruce Schneier, a security expert, said he expects that even under the new system, criminals will find ways to forge licenses and bribe state workers to use false information. He warned that it's almost inevitable that some personal information will end up on search engines such as Google, potentially endangering domestic violence victims, judges and others who have safety reasons for limiting access to their addresses.
"This is a grave security risk," he said.
Schneier noted instances of accidental losses or disclosures of Americans' personal information. He cited the Transportation Security Administration's recent announcement that it lost a computer hard drive containing Social Security numbers and bank and payroll information for about 100,000 employees.
Vermont Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy, chairman of the Judiciary Committee and co-sponsor of a Senate bill that would repeal the Real ID law, said the government's record is not reassuring.
"You see mistakes being made all the time," Leahy said.
To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:
eauster@plaind.com, 216-999-4212
http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindeal ... xml&coll=2
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States move warily on Real ID
States move warily on Real ID
Officials still crave funding and firm guidance on nationwide standards for driver’s licenses
By Jennifer McAdams
Published on May 21, 2007
Having aired their concerns about cost and policy implications, many state officials now seem resigned to the Real ID Act, which requires states to issue driver’s licenses that conform to new federal standards. Many states are preparing for the new requirements and hiring systems integrators rather than waiting for the Homeland Security Department to release final technical standards.
Nevada’s Department of Motor Vehicles, for example, is investigating facial recognition and various methods for sharing driver’s license information with other states and the federal government, even though it can only go so far without more detailed guidance from DHS, said Tom Jacobs, public information officer at Nevada’s DMV.
“At this point, we have no vision of a complete solution because we still don’t know what Real ID completely is,â€
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Employers beware of Real ID law
Employers beware of Real ID law
Posted on May 21, 2007 4:16 AM
By Roger Pettit
View full bio
With a new law that went into effect April 1, Wisconsin employers will have to pay close attention to driver's licenses and identification cards used by new employees to verify their right to work in the United States.
Wisconsin had been one of 10 states not requiring applicants for driver's licenses to prove legal residency. Federal legislation called the Real ID law requires states to meet national identification standards no later than Dec. 31, 2009.
Prior to the law change, applicants for a Wisconsin driver's license or a state identification card did not have to prove their legal presence in the United States. This led to many illegal immigrants securing a legal form of identification that would then be used as one of the forms provided to employers as proof of their work status.
That is no longer the case with the law change. As a result, along with fake or stolen Social Security numbers, illegal immigrants will likely increase the use of fake or altered driver's licenses and identification cards when applying for jobs.
Employers need to be sensitive to this matter as they can face discrimination lawsuits if they mistakenly assume an employee or job applicant is not a legal resident. At the same time, employers can face government fines for knowingly employing workers who are illegal immigrants.
Ironically, now that it is harder for illegal immigrants to use legal documents to prove their right to work, the Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is greatly increasing its enforcement efforts against employers that knowingly employ illegal aliens.
The Department has been quoted as promising to target both large and small employers.
Now more than ever, employers with immigrant work forces need to have systems in place to closely monitor Social Security numbers and now driver's licenses or identification cards to verify their legal status.
The Wisconsin Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) can provide pointers on spotting false or altered driver's licenses or IDs. Anyone with questions on these matters should seek assistance from human resource consultants or employment lawyers in implementing those systems and/or to gain a better understanding of the regulations now in place.
Additionally, employers should have a no-match policy in place to help protect the employer against discrimination claims when employment decisions must be made based upon continuous problems with employee's Social Security numbers.
Roger Pettit is an attorney with Petrie & Stocking S.C., a Milwaukee law firm, and has more than 30 years experience practicing labor and employment law.
http://www.biztimes.com/blogs/milwaukee ... eal-id-law
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U.S. Real ID Act Poses Real Threats The Emergence of a Real
U.S. Real ID Act Poses Real Threats
The Emergence of a Real Big Brother
by Jason Hahn
Global Research, May 20, 2007
Ohmynews
Americans saw their opportunity to speak out against or for the Real ID Act on Tuesday, when the deadline for public comment on the legislation ended. The act has been the object of controversy and major concern for many citizens who are raising personal privacy concerns. A handful of state governments are also voicing their dissent to the act, which would place huge financial burdens upon each participating state.
The Real ID Act was tacked onto a 2005 bill titled "Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act for Defense, the Global War on Terror, and Tsunami Relief, 2005." The emergency bill was primarily meant to approve $82 billion for the war in Iraq and Asian tsunami financial aid, and was signed by President Bush on May 11, 2005. The Republican-driven House attached the Real ID Act to this bill, which landed on the president's desk without a Senate debate.
The act was meant to prevent terrorism by creating stricter and uniform standards for states to follow concerning state-issued IDs. It calls for states to revamp their state-issued drivers licenses and non-drivers identification cards in order to implement uniform security features across all states.
Right off the bat there is an obvious politically-charged nature to this debate. The current Congress is composed of a Democratic majority, which sets the stage for anger concerning how the bill was passed by the Republican-run Congress back in 2005.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.) has been the driving force behind recent opposition to the Real ID Act.
During a hearing on Tuesday, May 8, Leahy said: "I think the days of Congress rubber-stamping any and every idea cooked up by the administration are over. You have the nation's governors, Republicans and Democrats, who say they want to have a voice in this. Should they be ignored, or is this a case where the federal government knows better than the states?"
Leahy's disapproval of the act is backed up by seven states which have already passed unusual legislation opposing the Real ID Act. The list includes Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Colorado, Arkansas, and Maine. More than 30 states have called upon Congress to completely do away with the act or to fully fund it.
This is where the states' concerns arise. If the Real ID Act were to proceed as planned, states would be responsible for a sum of up to $23.1 billion, which is significantly higher than the $11 billion price tag estimated by the National Conference of State Legislatures and other state groups last year. Homeland Security says that the total cost of $23.1 billion, which includes the cost to individuals, would be spread out over a 10-year period.
Unfunded mandates are not unfamiliar to states. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 was deemed as an unfunded mandate upon the states, many of which have made their displeasure of the act known, though none have actually dumped it. This is primarily because federal funds make up about 8 percent of public education funding, and would be rescinded from any state abandoning the act.
The Real ID Act is easier for states to openly reject because there are no funds to lose. States stand to shoulder heavy financial and administrative loads, and will be obliged to bow down to federal orders.
"State motor vehicle officials will be required to verify the legal status of applicants, adding to the responsibilities of already heavily burdened state offices," Leahy contended.
States can choose to turn their backs on the act, but their citizens would not be able to board an airplane or enter federal buildings. This penalty would take effect on May 11, 2008.
The primary concern for citizens is privacy related. Though Congress denies that this act would signal the dawn of national identity cards, many are not buying it.
This stems from the security aspects that will be required for these state-issued driver's license cards. These Real ID cards will feature a two-dimensional, non-encrypted barcode that will contain personal information such as the citizen's home address. Since the cards will not be encrypted (due to "operational complexity"), everyday businesses like bars and banks would be able to scan and store a customer's home address, among other pieces of personal information.
The potential for a privacy disaster is easily seen already, but the story does not end there. States would be required to scan all documentary evidence into a database shared with other states. Documentary evidence would include proofs of birthdates, legal status, and social security numbers.
Having all of this sensitive information merged together would create a hodgepodge of information, not to mention a headache waiting to happen, according to Bruce Schneier, a security technologist.
"The security risks of this database are enormous. It would be a kludge of existing databases that are incompatible, full of erroneous data and unreliable," he said.
He added: "A reliance on ID cards is based on a dangerous security myth, the idea that if only we knew who everyone was, we could pick the bad guys out of the crowd."
What's more, this merged database containing huge amounts of private information will be overseen by the Department of Homeland Security, which causes some to foresee a federal entity that would possess too much information and power.
To add to the already heightened apprehension concerning these ID cards, radio frequency identification (RFID) tags are being considered as well.
Despite the anti-illegal Mexican immigrants spin that some see as a prominent aspect of Real ID, the catalyst is a response to 9/11 and the 19 of 30 hijackers that showed state-issued identification. At least seven were obtained deceitfully.
States are required to submit plans on how they will meet the requirements of the Real ID Act by Oct. 7, 2007. If any fail to do so, their citizens will not be allowed to board planes and enter federal buildings.
States will also have until May of next year (or Dec. 31, 2009 if an extension is requested) to confirm that they are on track to comply with the act. They will then have until 2013 to reissue all drivers licenses, which will require each license holder to renew their licenses in person with a form of photo identification and relevant documents to verify date of birth, home address, and social security number.
Final rules for Real ID are expected later this summer.
The promise of tighter security for our nation as a whole is evident in these measures, though it does not seem likely that everyone will think the possibility worth all the risks involved. To some, it would appear that the U.S. is trying to solve one problem while creating the potential for several more. Regardless of the distinctions between a national ID and a state ID, there are undeniable and justifiable security concerns at play here.
If people are concerned enough to shred their mail and old documents, how will they be able to deal with leaving a digital fingerprint every time they want to go out for a drink or make a withdrawal at the bank?
If there are miscreants motivated enough to carry out identification theft now, will the temptation and the reward of such crimes be greater with Real IDs being used nationwide?
There are concerns on all levels of our country. Politicians seem just as concerned about their party's say in the matter as the level of privacy of those they represent. States are clenching their pockets and crying foul. Citizens are afraid that their personal information, which is already so vulnerable, will be open game for those determined to take advantage of any possible weaknesses in the system.
Many other countries use national IDs without much dissension, but there seems to be loud apprehension to the idea from Americans. Even their British counterparts are well on their way to a similar fate. The U.K. will begin issuing ID cards utilizing fingerprint and iris scan information for all non-European Union citizens re-applying to stay in the country after the first six months. Future political sway could determine whether or not these ID cards will be mandatory for all citizens in the U.K.
These developments, along with the ubiquity of security cameras that are popping up in all sorts of places only fuel the fire of paranoia that many concerned Americans and Britons see.
For Americans, there may not be much choice. The bill is already signed, and final parameters are on the cusp of completion, which means that those who fear the emergence of a real Big Brother or the fulfillment of Revelations might have a little bit more ground to found their trepidations upon.
Global Research Articles by Jason Hahn
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States: Just say 'no' to national identity cards
May 21, 2007
Posturing itself for the 2006 elections, the 2005 Republican-led Congress decided to turn your driver's license into a national ID card with little debate. Now the states are revolting over the cost and privacy implications.
The Real ID Act passed in 2005 requires states to replace all existing drivers' licenses by 2013 with licenses with standardized "machine readable" biographical data. Applicants must prove citizenship as well as validation of address, date of birth and social security number.
Without a hearing in the Senate, Congress attached it to an emergency military spending bill, thus ending ongoing negotiations between the states and the U.S. Department of Transportation over driver's license security standards.
The transition starts in 2008 for 245 million licensed drivers with an estimated cost of about $14.6 billion to states and $7.8 billion to individuals. So far the Department of Homeland Security has offered up only $100 million in grants, and that's from existing anti-terrorism funds already allocated to states.
The Oregon Legislature is reconciling calls for repeal with the need to prepare for implementation. According to the Driver and Motor Vehicle Services Division, nearly 3 million licensed drivers will have to obtain the new licenses, whether their existing one expires or not, within a four-year period. The estimated cost is $65 million.
Several states have passed legislation either refusing to comply or calling for repeal. Conservative talk shows consumed with making immigration their raison d'ete instinctively react as if attacks on the law are part of the liberal agenda. But Montana, Idaho, North Dakota and Utah aren't exactly left-wing bastions.
So what does this mean for you? You will need to go to DMV to get a new one before 2013. No mail-ins. You will have to bring proof of citizenship. Unless you have a passport, dig up that birth certificate.
Be prepared for some higher fees and longer lines at the DMV offices. And some unsettling issues over validity of documents and what to do about those who don't have a car or haven't passed the driving test.
Many proponents of the Real ID Act go out of their way to assure us it isn't a national ID card -- presumably because it would be bad politically if it were. Well, in reality it is.
To get federal funding for the mandate, states must link up their databases. The driver's licenses will have the same data and they will be electronically readable. Homeland Security can add any requirements it wants. Showing and scanning of the card will be required to get on airplanes or for financial services and banking. Because it can be scanned, merchants can demand to see the ID card and gather data.
The effect is a national ID card. If you are an American but don't have one, you are erased as a citizen and without access to critical services. If you have one, government and merchants can track your activities.
Is concern over privacy warranted? Homeland Security rules don't require encryption of the biographic data on the license. There's nothing keeping merchants from automatically collecting biographical data from the licenses.
Oregon might have sufficient protections for data such as Social Security numbers, but this data must be shared with other states and that sharing might not have the same level of protection. States are justifiably fearful that the effort to ostensibly enhance national security will end up as an invitation to identify theft.
Part of the anxiety over privacy is the uncertainty over the rules Homeland Security has yet to adopt. But one thing is for certain. The only way to get Congress to revisit its hasty decision is for the states, and the public, to continue saying "no thanks."
Ron Eachus of Salem is a former legislator and a former chairman of the Oregon Public Utility Commission. His column appears every other Monday. Send e-mail to re4869@comcast.net.
http://159.54.226.83/apps/pbcs.dll/arti ... 10329/1064
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Line-of-duty death benefit rides Real ID ban
Line-of-duty death benefit rides Real ID ban
By TOM FAHEY
State House Bureau Chief
7 hours, 39 minutes ago
CONCORD – The Senate yesterday made a determined push to pass a death benefit for police and firefighters by tagging it onto an unrelated bill the House desperately wants.
By a unanimous vote, the Senate voted to amend a ban on New Hampshire's participation in the national Real ID program by adding the line-of-duty death benefit.
A House subcommittee on Wednesday voted to recommend retaining the death benefit bill for a year. It has passed the Real ID bill on two occasions, this year by a 268-8 vote.
Sen. Lou D'Allesandro, D-Manchester, and Sen. Robert Letourneau, R-Derry, urged the full Senate to make the move. The amendment will force the House to negotiate on the issue if it follows the Finance subcommittee's recommendation.
The state has seen two police officers killed in the line of duty in the past nine months: Manchester Police Officer Michael Briggs in October and Franconia Police Officer Bruce McKay this month.
Letourneau said, "I find it pretty hard to accept the fact that in light of recent activities in the North Country, the House has decided to retain this bill. I'm in full support of this amendment. We need to get this done."
The national Real ID bill, passed in the wake of 9/11 terror attacks, directs states to adopt uniform procedures and document requirements for driver's licenses. The state bill, HB 685, would limit the data the state's Department of Safety could share with other states and the federal government on motor vehicle registrations and driver's licenses.
Sen. Peter Burling, D-Cornish, said no one testified against the Real ID measure at a public hearing, and those who favor keeping the state out of the program addressed a wide variety of reasons, from technology to privacy policies.
"It is clear that the Real ID idea the federal government has put forward was not completely thought out," he said.
Gov. John Lynch said the Senate was right to reject Real ID.
"I continue to have many concerns about Real ID, including the cost, the impact on the privacy of our citizens and the burden it will place on state government employees," Lynch said in a statement.
http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx ... b3b2ca6c8a
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The EEVS of our destruction
http://www.renewamerica.us/columns/levant/070529
The EEVS of our destruction
Nancy Levant Nancy Levant
May 29, 2007
Let's begin with a couple of recent little details about which you've been told nothing:
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a proposal on March 1 to establish minimum standards for state-issued driver's licenses and identification cards in compliance with the REAL ID Act of 2005.
DHS-proposed regulations set standards for states to meet the requirements of the REAL ID Act, including security features that must be incorporated into each card, verification of information provided by applicants to establish their identity and lawful status in the United States, and physical security standards for all locations where licenses and identification cards are issued.
As proposed, a REAL ID driver's license will be required to access a federal building; board federally regulated commercial aircraft, and enter nuclear power plants. Because states may have difficulty complying before the May 11, 2008, deadline, DHS will grant an extension of the compliance deadline until December 31, 2009.
It is anticipated that on January 1, 2008, U.S. citizens traveling between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda — by land or sea and including ferries — may be required to present a valid U.S. passport or other documents as determined by the Department of Homeland Security. While recent legislative changes may permit a later deadline, both the Departments of State and Homeland Security are working to have all requirements in place by the original deadline. Advance notice will be provided to enable we the people to meet the new land and sea border requirement(s).
Now, to the nuts and bolts of truth: Introduced by Representatives Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) and Jeff Flake (R-Ariz), met The STRIVE Act — Security Through Regularized Immigration and a Vibrant Economy Act of 2007. This Act, full of dialectic/deceiving crap, also introduces the EEVES proposal, which is the Employment Eligibility Verification System and the real deal of this Act.
The EEVS proposal would require ALL PEOPLE — both citizens and non-citizens — to obtain and present newly proposed documents such as a Social Security Card and driver's license compliant with the Real ID Act in order to work or continue working. The EEVS data basing human compliance grader would mean that EVERYONE would have to obtain PERMISSION from the government to obtain a job and every time a new job is sought.
The Employment Eligibility Verification System (EEVS) would require every employer in the United States to verify the employment eligibility of their workers through the EEVS data base.
The Employment Eligibility Verification System (EEVS) would require every person in America to carry a new and improved biometric Social Security card containing information about the cardholder such as fingerprints, retina scan and DNA — essentially another national ID — AND present a Real ID-compliant driver's license to qualify for any job or income.
EEVS also creates ANOTHER vast federal database to verify the work eligibility of ALL American citizen job applicants. The system would contain extraordinary personal information on everyone who seeks or holds a job, and all of it keyed to a new biometric Social Security number. When this bill passes (and it will), every time we apply for a job, the Department of Homeland Security will determine our eligibility to work in OUR nation. In the essence of FACT, NO ONE will be able to work in the u.S. without DHS approval. And, guess what...this bill forecloses judicial review of governmental mistakes. Therefore, if they falsely determine that you are disallowed to earn money, tough beans! Starve and weep! CONgress and their federal mandates are working double-time to drive the nails into our highly selective slavery.
About 16,000 employers nationwide are currently and voluntarily participating in the EEVS Basic Pilot Program (gosh, I wonder which politically funding corporations those 16,000 might be...), but this federal mandate requires expansion to mandatory use by every American employer, which will affect at least 160 million American and non-American workers — and all in the name of "security."
Well Americans, be secure in knowing that you are all but one grade away from destitution, national shunning, and targeted enemy designations of this state of treasonous affairs. And once designated as such, I refer you to history, to Halliburton civilian labor camps, and to ethnic cleansing. Now you know why they have been steadfastly preparing for "civilian management." We are one to two years away from our Real ID designations — 12 to 24 months — and only God knows what other "legislation" will result from America's new paramilitary dictatorship. Now, tell me again why you vote Democrat or Republican? And tell me again why CONgress is still illegally operational?
It's time to group together to support one another. The Amish people aren't so odd after all. We either prepare ourselves to live as slaves within this un-American paramilitary grid, or we must gather talents, skills, and the determination to refuse it and to live according to OUR efforts, OUR beliefs, and OUR choices. The line is drawn — albeit that we did NOT draw this treasonous line — minus the fact that we sat back and allowed it to become OUR leadership. It's time to re-plan OUR futures — together.
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Nancy Levant is a renowned writer for constitutional governance and American culture. She is the author of The Cultural Devastation of American Women: The Strange and Frightening Decline of the American Female (and her dreadful timing).
She is an opponent of deceptive governance and politicians, global governance by deception, political feminism, the public school system, political economics based upon manufactured wars and their corporate benefactors, and the Federal Reserve System. She is also a nationwide and lively radio personality.
© Copyright 2007 by Nancy Levant
http://www.renewamerica.us/columns/levant/070529
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It is a shame that so many people are bind or too stupid to even pay attention to the Real ID. It is the modern day version of what Hitler used to first round up criminals, then the mentally ill, next to the old and sick and finally to a race that he despised and those that politically opposed him.
We already have Criminals tagged, some with chips, some with monitors.
The elderly are getting chipped as well as the homeless mentally challenged.
Plans are in place for military personnel as well.
Babies are getting [url=http://www.agoracosmopolitan.com/home/Frontpage/2007/01/08/01290.html]chipped this will protect them according to Verichip.
Who wants to be next?
Take your Real ID, but it won’t be long before this national Id is compromised and the chip will be the only full proof way to prevent tampering.
Go ahead, take the mark, its for your protection.
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http://www.freemarketnews.com/Analysis/ ... 4&nid=7664
REAL ID Trojan Horse Vote Possible
Monday, May 28, 2007
Please share with concerned friends . . .
Subject: REAL ID Trojan Horse vote possible today
Yesterday we told you that the immigration bill being considered in the Senate contains provisions that could entangle all U.S. employers and employees in a bureaucratic nightmare similar to what has happened with the terrorist watch list.
This bill contains no direct mention of the REAL ID Act, or the de facto national identity card the REAL ID Act would create, but it seems fairly clear to us that REAL ID is woven into this bill, even though it is far from clear that the REAL ID Act can even be implemented.
Under this legislation you are going to have to get a green-light from the federal government if you want to hire someone, or if someone wants to hire you.
But what if mistakes are made by this federal system, and you can't hire someone, or be hired, until the feds correct their errors? What if they NEVER correct their mistakes?
You will become a non-person.
The bill in question is about 1,000 pages long. It is also extremely complicated. I have copied one small section relating to electronic verification of identity below my signature to give you a taste of it. But despite its length and complexity this bill is being rushed to a vote, perhaps as soon as today.
John Fund, in a Wall Street Journal editorial on Monday makes the following observation: http://www.opinionjournal.com/diary/?id=110010103
"Senators did not even receive the bill draft until midnight Saturday. After a test vote scheduled for today, Majority Leader Harry Reid is planning a final vote on the bill this Thursday, only one week after the compromise was struck. Shouldn't senators have time to actually read the bill they're being asked to vote on?"
Notice that Fund is yet another person who has picked up on the "read the bills" concept that we have been pushing with our "Read the Bills Act."
It is very unlikely that the Senate is going to read this bill before they vote on it. And even if they did read it the bill is so complex it is almost impossible to understand.
Please send Congress a message right now asking them to strip all REAL ID related provisions from this, or any other immigration bill. If you can please follow up with a phone call, and deliver the same message. The phone numbers you need to contact your Senators will be on the screen when you send your message.
You can send your message about the immigration bill here. http://action.downsizedc.org/wyc.php?cid=73
Please also consider sending a message asking Congress to introduce and pass DownsizeDC.org's "Read the Bills Act" (RTBA). You can mention the complicated 1,000 page immigration bill as yet another reason why the "Read the Bills Act" needs to be passed as soon as possible.
If you don't know about RTBA you can learn about it here. http://www.downsizedc.org/read_the_laws.shtml
If you already know about RTBA you can send your message about it here.
http://action.downsizedc.org/wyc.php?cid=27
Thank you for being a DC Downsizer.
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Heck no
Originally published May 29, 2007
You gotta admire a governor who doesn't mince words about whether his state will comply with a knuckle-headed mandate from Washington as costly as it is offensive. "No, nope, no way, hell no" was how Montana's Brian Schweitzer put it, according to an Associated Press account of a recent ceremony in which the governor signed one of the strongest rejections so far of the federal law known as Real ID.
Montana is justly proud of being at the forefront of a national rebellion against an anti-immigrant measure the Republican Congress passed in 2005 that would turn state-issued driver's licenses into national identity papers through a chaotic and expensive process fraught with the possibility of privacy violations and identify theft.
This rebellion is a refreshing sign that common sense can prevail even when federal officials fan fears of international terrorism and threaten citizens of recalcitrant states that they won't be able to board airplanes. Nearly a dozen other states have also formally refused to participate in the program, and more than half are debating the choice.
Maryland is biding its time. Motor vehicle officials are preparing about as much as they can without committing funds to a tab estimated at $50 million to $100 million. They wisely anticipate that Real ID may be repealed by Congress or at least remodeled. It has already been delayed once.
Probably chief among concerns for the states is the program's $23 billion price tag, with which the federal government has offered no meaningful help.
But states also bristle at being directed to create - on the cheap - a national identity data bank that Americans have long resisted. All 245 million drivers would have to show up at state offices armed with birth certificates or other proof of citizenship. Their documents would be digitally copied and stored along with biometric material, such as a fingerprint or retina scan. All the state data banks would be linked, so hackers would have access to vital private information for everyone who drives a car.
The ostensible purpose for creating this elaborate system was to improve security in a country that relies so much on driver's licenses for identification. But Real ID got passed (as a last-minute add-on to an emergency war spending bill) because it was sold as an easy way to curb illegal immigration by demanding proof of citizenship for licensed drivers - as though undocumented workers wouldn't simply drive without a license.
Even with a new Democratic Congress, repealing Real ID may be difficult. But if one-fourth or more of the states refuse to participate, the program will likely collapse of its own weight.
Driver's licenses should be secure and tamper-proof, but they can't be even part of the answer to America's immigration problems. Outside of Washington, Americans understand that.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinio ... -headlines
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New Hampshire officials say no to Real ID
New Hampshire officials say no to Real ID
Governor set to sign bill that rejects compliance with federal law
Marc L. Songini
May 30, 2007 (Computerworld) -- New Hampshire is poised to become the latest of a handful of states to enact a law to ban implementation of the federal national identification act.
The Real ID Act, whose evolving guidelines were last updated in March by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), was passed by Congress in 2005 with a May 2008 deadline for compliance. The deadline can now be extended until December 2009 with DHS approval.
About a dozen states, including Maine, Hawaii and Idaho, have so far passed legislation opposing the federal law, said a spokesman for the Washington-based American Civil Liberties Union.
“The concerns are all similar,â€
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SC REJECTS REAL ID
Posted on Thu, May. 31, 2007
News from around the Statehouse on Thursday
The Associated Press
South Carolina would reject a federal call for a national driver's license under a proposal senators agreed to Thursday.
Complying with the federal Real ID Act of 2005 would cost the state $25 million to start, then $11 million a year. Also, lines at Department of Motor Vehicles offices could be hours long, as all drivers would be required to show up in person for a new license, according to state officials.
Under the approved bill, South Carolina would refuse to participate in the program, which also would link states' record-keeping systems to national databases.
The Senate's initial proposal included stipulations, saying the state would not participate until the federal government agreed to help pay for it and provide privacy protections. But the House removed those requirements before approving the bill Wednesday.
"We're not interested in participating at all," said House Education and Public Works Chairman Bob Walker, R-Landrum.
---
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - A resolution called "Plan B" for the 2007-08 state budget received key approval Thursday in the House.
The measure would fund state government at the same levels as this fiscal year if legislators can't agree to a new spending plan by July 1.
"This is Plan B in case we don't get to a budget," House Ways and Means Chairman Dan Cooper said.
The Senate approved the measure last week. It will receive final approval in the House with an automatic vote Friday.
Budget negotiations between House and Senate conference committee members have stalled. Sticking points on the $7.4 billion plan include whether income tax relief should apply to top earners or to the bottom tax bracket, how to reform the Department of Transportation, and whether to increase cigarette taxes.
Only three days remain in the regular 2007 legislative session. House members are considering a resolution to extend the session to deal with the budget and other limited items. It was approved in the Senate last week.
http://www.charlotte.com/205/story/142605.html
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EXCELLENT!!!
Absolutely Wonderful :D
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The statement that California provides drivers licenses to illegals is as valid as the rumor started by Mike Savage that gas is or was $4.00 a gallon in California. Neither are true. The California Democrat legislature has passed several bills granting illeagals d.l. Arnold has vetoed them all.
As for the national id, I would wear mine on a chain hanging from my neck. I have nothing to hide or to fear.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JerryMack
The statement that California provides drivers licenses to illegals is as valid as the rumor started by Mike Savage that gas is or was $4.00 a gallon in California. Neither are true. The California Democrat legislature has passed several bills granting illeagals d.l. Arnold has vetoed them all.
As for the national id, I would wear mine on a chain hanging from my neck. I have nothing to hide or to fear.
Having nothing to hide is not a vaild reason for accepting a National ID. Hitler had national ID's, what did it get those who accepted it?
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Two more states reject Real ID
Two more states reject Real ID
WASHINGTON, June 1: New Hampshire and Oklahoma have joined Montana and Washington in rejecting the U.S. government's 2005 Real ID Act.
The states passed statutes refusing to submit to the program, meaning driver's licenses issued by those states will eventually be disallowed as official identification to board airplanes and enter federal buildings, Stateline.org reported Friday.
Meanwhile, the Idaho Legislature refused to allocate any money to pay for the act and the Georgia Legislature gave Gov. Sonny Perdue the authority to ignore the act. Perdue's spokesman, Bert Brantley, said the governor is hoping the federal government will make the expensive program more affordable for states.
Opponents of the $14 billion program have criticized its high costs for states and expressed fears the new security system for compliant driver's licenses would amount to an invasion of privacy for the holders.
"It's more and more clear that the Real ID system won't work to secure the country," said Jim Harper of the Libertarian Cato Institute. He predicted more states will join those rejecting the act.
--- UPI
http://www.newkerala.com/news.php?actio ... s&id=34645
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Maine and N.H. vs. the Real ID Act
Maine and N.H. vs. the Real ID Act
National card system opposed on privacy, civil liberty grounds
By Rachel M. Collins
news@seacoastonline.com
June 03, 2007 6:00 AM
New Hampshire and Maine are leading the opposition to a national driver's license or identification card system.
Dubbed the Real ID Act of 2005, the federal law passed by Congress sets a nationwide standard for new driver's licenses or personal identification cards for everyone that would link states' record-keeping systems to a national database.
In addition to being a hefty cost for the states — an estimate that has ranged between $11 billion and $24 billion to implement nationwide — some lawmakers in Maine and New Hampshire argue the measure infringes on privacy rights and civil liberties.
In response, the New Hampshire House and Senate have passed a bill barring the state from participating in the identification system.
Though 26 states — including Maine — this year have introduced either a resolution or a bill stopping their states from participating in the program or criticizing Congress for mandating Real ID, the N.H. House was one of the first to pass a bill forbidding the state from complying with the act, said Rep. Neal Kurk, R-Weare, the bill's prime sponsor.
Calling the act "contrary and repugnant" to both the New Hampshire and U.S. constitutions, legislators — by an overwhelming 268-8 vote — sent the measure to the state Senate for a vote.
State senators voted unanimously last month to support the bill. And Gov. John Lynch has said he will to sign it, after the two chambers reconcile their versions.
The act calls for Americans to be required to have a federally approved ID card to travel on an airplane, open a bank account, collect Social Security payments, avail oneself of any government service or even enter a federal building.
Kurk said opposition is strong, particularly in New Hampshire, the "Live Free or Die" state, because of the program's ramifications.
"The government has said this program was put in place as one way to make the country more secure against terrorist attacks," he said. "It is neither going to enhance safety or security."
In fact, Kurk argues that by creating a national database, it will make it easier for hackers and identity thieves since all vital information would be in the same place.
He also said if terrorists were able to produce some kind of "legitimate document" such as a driver's license — obtained through bribery or theft — they then would be able to get their own national ID card and " would now be inside the fortress."
In addition, Kurk said even "ordinary citizens are absolutely amazed" that our federal government would mandate a system "that would allow them to keep track of all citizens under the guise of national security."
For those reasons, from the start, New Hampshire and Maine lawmakers have been in the forefront voicing concerns. Maine was the first to take a formal stand against the legislation when its Senate and House voted nearly unanimously to approve a joint resolution urging Congress and the president to repeal Real ID.
Admittedly, there have been a few concessions already.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which had set an initial May 2008 deadline to comply with the uniform licensing standards, backed down in March, along with President Bush, from that deadline.
That action was prompted by a Senate amendment introduced by Sen. Susan Collins, a Maine Republican.
Though the federal government continues to stand by the need for "machine-readable" national ID cards, the states now will have until Dec. 31, 2009, to comply.
"This is significant progress," Collins said. "The department has finally recognized that it was simply unfair to impose this burden on the states to set such an unrealistic compliance date."
Still, Collins admitted, the new deadline does "not solve all of the issues and the all of the problems with the Real ID Act, the biggest of which is the huge cost of compliance."
But for many in Maine and New Hampshire funding still is not the only problem.
In fact, even though New Hampshire was chosen last year as one of two states to pilot the program, Lynch and the Executive Council have not moved forward on accepting the $3 million grant, according to Lynch press secretary Colin Manning.
And, all of the states' maneuverings could become moot if U.S. Rep. Tom Allen, D-Maine, has his way.
Allen is sponsoring a bill in Congress that would repeal Real ID. "Real ID enacted statutory regulations that were too prescriptive," he said. "I think the bill needs to be repealed."
Instead, his proposal is that DHS and the Department of Transportation work with state officials and privacy and civil rights experts on setting minimum standards for licenses and personal ID cards with common machine-readable identity information.
The bill not only would provide states flexibility in producing tamper- and counterfeit-resistant driver's licenses, but it would seek "to protect privacy and civil liberties."
That is because Allen said the Real ID Act requiring every state department of motor vehicles to gather personal information to be "shared with all of those around the country raises some significant privacy issues."
"A lot of this is about process," he said. "If we're going to have some form of an ID system, then the states and their motor vehicle or other related agencies need to have a say in drawing up the regulations to figure out how much flexibility and uniformity to include."
The bill also requests Congress to provide the secretary of Homeland Security with $300 million for each fiscal year from 2008 to 2015 to assist states in paying for the new cards.
http://www.seacoastonline.com/apps/pbcs ... 50/-1/NEWS
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There are many reasons to oppose 'Real ID Act'
There are many reasons to oppose 'Real ID Act'
June 6 , 2007
It was a surprise when the recent, strife-torn Legislature passed the bill denying the federal Real ID Act, not because the bill passed but because it passed unanimously.
In a session that couldn't agree on the shape of the negotiating table, the fast and overwhelming support for this repudiation of a federal power grab was stunning.
And because of it, even U.S. Rep. Denny Rehberg, R-Mont. and originally a supporter of the idea of standardized national identification cards and a connected human database, reversed his position and supported undoing the federal legislation.
Instituted on the recommendation of the 9/11 Commission, he said he thought most Montanans agreed with the strong anti-terrorism move.
"The Legislature has disagreed, the governor has disagreed and I will accept and support their position," Rehberg said on the April day on which Gov. Schweitzer signed the state legislation.
At the time we found ourselves in sympathy with Rehberg. While there's something distressingly Orwellian about the idea of Big Brother having the tools to know our personal data and whereabouts, it was hard to see how law-abiding people had anything to fear from it. And, it seemed, it might help law enforcement working to fight interstate crime.
Most onerous in our view was that it constituted another of those dreaded unfunded mandates: By one reckoning standardizing 50 states' driver's licenses, IDs and computer records would cost the states $14 billion.
The "live free or die" rhetoric that accompanied debate on the state bill was a surprise.
"No, nope, no way, hell no," said Schweitzer as he signed the bill announcing that the state wouldn't comply with the federal ID act — the strongest statement of opposition yet by an individual state.
Montana's U.S. senators have led the charge to strip Real ID from the immigration bill.
We heartily endorse the move as a matter of states rights and on the basis of the cost to states. We'll leave the rhetorical objections to the politicians.
Said Schweitzer: "This is still a free country and there are no freer people than the people that we have in Montana."
http://www.greatfallstribune.com/
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Maine Enacts Real ID Statute
Maine Enacts Real ID Statute
POSTED: 11:14 am EDT June 6, 2007
UPDATED: 11:48 am EDT June 6, 2007
AUGUSTA, Maine -- In January, Maine lawmakers led a national revolt against the Real ID law by passing a resolution objecting to the 2005 act of Congress.
Now, the Maine Legislature has gone a step further by passing a bill prohibiting the state from implementing Real ID or any other similar national identity card system. The House and Senate both gave the bill final approval on Tuesday, and it awaits the signature of Gov. John Baldacci, who also opposes Real ID.
The program sets a national standard for driver's licenses and requires states to link their record-keeping systems to national databases.
Opponents said it would create a national identity card system. Those cards would be valuable to identity thieves. Opponents also see the cards as an invasion of privacy.
The law's supporters said Real ID is needed to prevent terrorists and illegal immigrants from getting fake identification cards.
More than a dozen states have followed Maine's lead with resolutions or statutory prohibitions on Real ID.
http://www.wmtw.com/news/13452802/detail.html
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States opposing Real ID, including Maine, gain allies
States opposing Real ID, including Maine, gain allies
But there's a move in Congress to expand the reach of this expensive and intrusive plan.
June 6, 2007
— The federal Real ID law is rolling down the tracks toward a collision with a growing number of states that are balking at its high cost and potential invasion of privacy.
Now, there's another train that may soon be running on the same line: A pending amendment to the immigration bill now being debated in Congress uses Real ID (or a passport) to identify the citizenship of job applicants.
Something's got to give, and it's not clear who will blink first, although a couple of bills have also been submitted to repeal the requirement.
When the Real ID Act was passed by Congress in 2005, the Department of Homeland Security backed it as a domestic security measure. The law told states to revamp their systems of providing driver's licenses and non-driver identification cards according to its uniform national standard.
After Dec. 31, 2009, no "non-compliant" state-issued ID can be accepted for federal purposes, such as traveling on commercial aircraft or proving eligibility for benefits.
One problem is that giving every one of the nation's 245 million licensed drivers a new ID is projected to cost upward of $14 billion, and there's no federal funding for the program.
In addition, the new licenses are supposed to contain personal data that can be read by machine, which raises considerable concerns about privacy should they be lost or stolen.
That's why Maine, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Washington, Montana, Hawaii, Idaho and Arkansas have passed either laws or resolutions rejecting its implementation, with similar measures pending in at least three other states. The National Governors Association has also expressed opposition.
If the feds want this, they should pay for it, and drop the requirement to include ultrasensitive data. Otherwise, the revolt could spread -- as it should.
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story ... 6&ac=PHedi
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Barr says the REAL ID requirement in immigration bill won’
Barr says the REAL ID requirement in immigration bill won’t fly
Wednesday, June 6, 2007, 03:09 PM
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Last month, former Georgia congressman Bob Barr chastised those passing too-quick judgment on the immigration reform effort now going on in Washington.
But on Wednesday, he announced that he’d found something objectionable “hidden deep within the massive bill.â€
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Sanford To Sign Real ID STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA
Sanford To Sign Real ID
STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA
OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR
MARK SANFORD, GOVERNOR
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Joel Sawyer
803-734-2100
jsawyer@gov.sc.gov
Governor to Sign REAL ID Law
LEGISLATION WILL KEEP SC FROM COMPLYING
WITH COSTLY FEDERAL MANDATE
Columbia, S.C. - June 12, 2007 - Gov. Mark Sanford will travel to Greenville tomorrow (Wednesday, June 13, 2007) to sign S.449, South Carolina's official "no" to the REAL ID Act. The REAL ID Act is the federal government's attempt to create a national ID card, an initiative that would cost South Carolina's taxpayers and lead to longer lines at the DMV. The new law will officially prevent South Carolina from participating in the program.
The governor will sign the bill at a Greenville DMV office (15 Saluda Dam Road, Greenville) at 2:30 p.m. For more information or directions from your location, please contact Joel Sawyer in the Governor's Office at 803-734-2100.
-#####-
Joel Sawyer
Office of Gov. Mark Sanford
(803) 734-5254 - work
(803) 446-6713 - cell
(803) 734-6447 - fax
http://campaignsandelections.com/sc/rel ... fm?ID=1123
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TN rejects "Real ID" legislation
TN rejects "Real ID" legislation
I got this press release earlier today:
NASHVILLE - The American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee (ACLU-TN) today praised the Tennessee General Assembly for their bipartisan rejection of the REAL ID Act, which would require all Tennesseans to give up sensitive personal information which would be stored in a national database, to pay higher licensing fees, and to stand in long lines at the Department of Motor Vehicles. The joint resolution (SJR248) criticizes the federal law’s unfunded mandate and its threats to privacy, security, and the Tennessee Constitution.
“Implementation of REAL ID would crush our privacy rights, drown the state in red tape, and make all of us less safe,â€
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SD Govs slam federal ID program
Govs slam federal ID program
By DUSTIN BLEIZEFFER
Star-Tribune staff writer Tuesday, June 12, 2007
DEADWOOD, S.D. -- Western governors grilled U.S. Homeland Security assistant secretary Stewart A. Baker on Monday, complaining that the federal government's Real ID program is unworkable and unfairly mandates that states cover the costs.
"The feds have half-baked ideas, and we ignore them. But from time to time they have half-baked ideas with mandates," said Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer. "This is another federal mandate we're not interested in (implementing) and paying for. ... How will you handle states that have said no, no, no way, and hell no?"
Real ID would require states to upgrade driver's licenses to also serve as passports. Baker said modifying driver's licenses is more palatable than creating a national ID card, and it's already an institution in Americans' lives.
States are supposed to comply in six years.
"The difficulty I face is I have to explain why 12 years after 9/11 was the deadline for problems we realized existed that day," Baker said. "Given the role driver's licenses have come to play in American life, to come up with some other card ... would require even more significant effort and make less sense for Americans and appear more as a national ID."
Real ID cuts at the heart of homeland security and immigration issues in the West. Just as Western states are launching massive clean energy construction goals comparable to the national interstate system, the federal government promises to thoroughly scrutinize the nationality of workers that companies and states hire.
"We will look for new ways to enforce the law, make sure the people you hire as contractors, state employees, have the best tools to identify their workers and make sure they belong in this country," Baker said.
Washington state is already working with Homeland Security to implement the program. Several governors of border states have expressed interest in similar cooperation with the federal agency, noting that they don't want the program to interfere with travel and trade with Canada.
Governors complained that Homeland Security efforts thus far haven't made Americans any safer.
"It used to be that one of the greatest forms of dignity was air travel," Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman said. "Now the biggest indignity is air travel. ... We're the most technologically advanced nation in the world. Why are we still shaking down our grandmothers?"
Reporter Dustin Bleizeffer can be reached at (307) 577-6069 or dustin.bleizeffer@casperstartribune.net
http://www.casperstartribune.net/articl ... 82e532.txt
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N.H. Joins Maine in Opposing Federal Real ID Program
N.H. Joins Maine in Opposing Federal Real ID Program
By Norma Love
June 12, 2007
Send Feedback E-mail this Article Print this Article Article Reprints
Calling the federal Real ID Act "repugnant'' to the state and federal constitutions, New Hampshire lawmakers voted to join other states — including neighboring Maine — in rejecting the federal Real ID Act as tantamount to requiring a national ID card.
The House voted last Thursday to send a bill to Gov. John Lynch that would bar the state from complying with the federal law, which sets standards for state-issued driver's licenses. Lynch's spokesman saidthe governor will sign it.
Also last week, Maine Gov. John Baldacci signed into law a bill prohibiting the state from implementing Real ID.
The New Hampshire bill also contains an unrelated provision to pay a death benefit for police and firefighters killed in the line of duty. Two police officers have died in the line of duty in the past eight months. Lynch spokesman Colin Manning said Lynch also supports the death benefit.
Real ID opponents said the state needed to send a clear statement that the federal government went too far in threatening individual privacy.
Last year, New Hampshire — one of two states picked to pilot the Real ID program — was the first state to consider rejecting the federal law, but the bill failed in the Senate.
Still, other states took up the fight. Maine passed a resolution opposing it in January and this spring Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire and Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer signed similar bills blocking their states from implementing the national rules.
President Bush recently bowed to pressure from the nation's governors and Congress and granted states until Dec. 31, 2009, to comply. Two years ago, Congress set a deadline for states to comply with uniform licensing standards by May 2008.
The law passed in response to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. It requires all states to bring their driver's licenses under a national standard and to link their record-keeping systems. States must verify identification used to obtain a driver's license, such as birth certificates, Social Security numbers and passports.
Driver's licenses not meeting the standard won't be accepted as identification to board an airplane or enter a federal building.
Critics complain the law is too intrusive and costly to states to implement. They also say a national database of drivers' information will be a target for thieves looking to steal identities.
Rep. Neal Kurk, R-Weare, the prime sponsor of the New Hampshire bill, says legislation or resolutions have been introduced in at least 26 states opposing Real ID.
Lynch and the Executive Council rejected the $3 million federal grant attached to the pilot project last year. Earlier this year, he reiterated his concern that Real ID could end up costing the state tens of millions of dollars for implementation and enforcement, and said he also had privacy concerns.
http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/ea ... /80736.htm
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Wisconsin considering anti-Real ID bill
Wisconsin considering anti-Real ID bill
Pat Schneider — 6/13/2007 8:34 am
Wisconsin soon may join the roster of states saying "no" to Real ID.
A bipartisan bill that would set high performance benchmarks for the federal legislation before the state would comply with it is being circulated for co-sponsors.
Its authors, state representatives Louis Molepske Jr., D- Stevens Point, and Jeff Wood, R-Chippewa Falls, make no bones about the fact that they think the federal law is an expensive boondoggle that will expose Wisconsin citizens to increased risk of identity theft and curtail civil liberties.
Some 36 states have passed or are considering legislation criticizing or opting out of Real ID, a 2005 federal law authored by Wisconsin's U.S. Rep. James S. Sensenbrenner, R-Menomonee Falls. In a statement as the Real ID neared passage, Sensenbrenner said it was aimed at "preventing another 9/11-type attack by disrupting terrorist travel and bolstering our border security."
Sensenbrenner was not available, and his office declined comment for this article.
States have until May 2008 to begin complying with Real ID, which specifies which forms of identification can be used to obtain a state driver's license or ID card, and how those documents must be electronically stored and shared with other states. Only licenses and ID cards from states in compliance with Real ID could be used to board a commercial airliner or enter a federal building. States are to have completed implementation by May 2013.
Make no mistake, Real ID establishes a national ID card, Wood said.
"What we carry in our wallets now are real IDs,'" he said. "This federal national ID bill requires the states to collect personal information -- social security number and digital image -- and put it into a national data base accessible to every governmental entity in the country."
"My concern," said Molepske, "is we not sell it as an anti-terrorism mechanism when it is really an immigration issue."
The entanglement of the two issues, national security and immigration, was intensified by the fact that a state law that went into effect this year requiring proof of legal presence in the United States to be eligible for a Wisconsin license or ID card was billed as a first step to compliance with Real ID.
Sensenbrenner is the author of the failed immigration legislation that would have made illegal presence in the country a felony and fueled the explosion of grass-roots opposition last year.
Sensenbrenner, who was in the Wisconsin Legislature for a decade before being elected to Congress in 1978, was a vocal opponent of recent compromise immigration legislation that would have given aliens in the United States without documentation a pathway to citizenship.
He said of licensing procedures pre-Real ID: "Giving driver's licenses that can be used for identification to anyone, regardless of whether they are here legally or whether we know who they really are, is an open invitation for terrorists and criminals to exploit."
The proposed new state legislation would prohibit the Department of Transportation from doing anything to comply with Real ID unless: the department ensures that data collected is secure, any personnel involved are adequately screened and trained and no unreasonable cost or records-keeping burden be imposed on license applicants.
What's more, the bill prohibits the Department of Transportation from spending any state money to comply with Real ID and encourages the Attorney General to challenge its legality.
Implementing Real ID would cost nearly $22 million -- for everything from additional staff at the Department of Motor Vehicles to data processing, enhanced security and new card stock for the licenses -- in the biennium now being budgeted, the Legislative Fiscal Bureau reported.
A new $10 "security verification fee" proposed by Gov. Jim Doyle to cover the costs of complying with Real ID will fall more than $11 million short, the bureau said. A $15 fee would reduce the shortfall to $756,000. Federal funds available for Real ID compliance are projected to be just over $600,000.
The logistical obstacles are staggering, Molepske said. "They're asking 245 million people to stand in line at the DMV between 2008 and 2013 to fight terrorism."
He's skeptical that the legislation will survive opposition by the airline industry and others that depend on air travel and tourism.
"We want to convince policymakers to open this up," he said.
Governmental groups, including the National Conference of State Legislatures and the conservative American Legislative Exchange Council, have gone on record against Real ID.
The liberal American Civil Liberties Union also has been a vocal critic of Real ID, and Stacy Harbaugh, community advocate for the ACLU of Wisconsin, praised the Molepske-Wood legislation.
"Wisconsin finally is stepping up to become of the many states saying they won't do this," Harbaugh said.
The law also is contrary to traditional conservative principles, Wood said. "This was done without the majority of conservatives being fully aware of the implications. When they realize what it means in terms of personal liberties and centralization of government power, I think people will be furious," he said.
Molepske said he's treading carefully not to challenge Sensenbrenner. "I called and told him we're doing this. We want it to be as non-confrontational as possible."
Wood said opposition to Real ID in Sensenbrenner's home state would be very significant.
"How Wisconsin goes will be how the country goes," he said.
Pat Schneider — 6/13/2007 8:34 am
E-mail:pschneider@madison.com
http://www.madison.com/tct/mad/topstories/188114
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ATTORNEY GENERAL MARTHA COAKLEY TESTIFIES IN OPPOSITION TO R
ATTORNEY GENERAL MARTHA COAKLEY TESTIFIES IN OPPOSITION TO REAL ID ACT
June 14, 2007
CONTACT: Emily LaGrassa/Melissa Sherman
(617) 727-2543
BOSTON – Today, Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley testified before the Legislature's Joint Committee on Veterans and Federal Affairs in opposition to the implementation of the federal Real ID Act in Massachusetts. The committee held a hearing on a resolution opposing the federal act that has been filed by Senator Richard T. Moore.
"The Real ID Act was pushed through Congress in 2005 without meaningful debate or hearing on its implications for the states," said Attorney General Coakley. "Not only does the Real ID Act call for sweeping changes in how states issue drivers' licenses with limited time to implement the changes, but it does not consider the financial burden placed on the states in order to do so. In Massachusetts alone, the cost of the first year of implementation is expected to exceed $140 million."
Senator Moore's proposed resolution articulates the policy of the Commonwealth as being against the Real ID Act on the grounds that it infringes on civil rights and liberties and it is not adequately funded. The resolution would also prohibit the Legislature from enacting legislation or authorizing any appropriation to further the implementation of the Real ID Act in Massachusetts, unless the appropriation is for either a comprehensive analysis of costs or mounting a constitutional challenge by the Attorney General or until the federal government provides adequate funding for implementation.
The Real ID Act, passed in 2005 as part of a military spending and tsunami relief bill, sets forth requirements for states' driver's licenses in order for them to be accepted by federal agencies for "any official purpose," including boarding an airplane, entering a federal building, opening a bank account, collecting Social Security and applying for federal benefits. The first implementations are scheduled to go into effect for states that opt into the program by May 2008. States may seek an extension by February 2008, but they still have to start issuing compliant licenses by January 1, 2010. According to the act, all licenses need to be compliant by spring 2013. The regulations for implementing the Real ID Act are not finalized leaving crucial details uncertain.
To date, 16 states have passed bills or resolutions opposing the implementation of the Real ID Act, and 22 other states have similar legislation or resolutions pending.
NOTE TO EDITORS: A copy of the written testimony submitted to the committee is attached.
http://www.ago.state.ma.us/sp.cfm?pageid=986&id=1925
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How far will Colorado go to stop ID law?
How far will Colorado go to stop ID law?
By ED SEALOVER
THE GAZETTE
June 17, 2007 - 11:46PM
DENVER - Congress’ decision two years ago to create a de facto national identification card flew below the radar, tucked into a spending bill and barely causing a stir before it was approved.
But legislators in Colorado and elsewhere are waking up to the consequences of the Real ID Act, a proposal that the National Conference of State Legislatures estimates will cost states $11 billion during the next five years.
A wave of opposition is swelling, but residents of states that do not comply with the law by 2010 will not be able to board airplanes or enter federal courthouses.
The act requires that states issue driver’s licenses and ID cards that have specific information, that issuers of the licenses scan birth certificates and other proof of citizenship, and that states’ information be accessible to the federal government for a national database.
Intended as an antiterrorism weapon, it will prevent illegal immigrants from obtaining a driver’s license and restrict their freedom of movement, backers say.
Conservatives and liberals have assailed the legislation recently as a violation of civil rights because it demands more information from residents and then keeps it permanently at the government’s fingertips. In addition to being a costly mandate for states, it makes citizens vulnerable to identity theft by keeping their most important information in a central place that could be hacked into, critics say.
A resolution written largely by the American Civil Liberties Union that passed through the Colorado Legislature without opposition details those concerns and goes a step further. It states that the General Assembly will pass no law to facilitate implementation of the Real ID Act and will spend money only on a comprehensive analysis of the costs of implementing it or toward a constitutional challenge mounted by the attorney general.
But with the law stating that noncompliant IDs must be stamped and not accepted for federal purposes such as passing through Transportation Security Administration checkpoints, the question is: How far will states go to rebel against the national government?
“It’s a tough deal. I would like to say we’ll fight it all the way,â€
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"REAL ID"-REAL REBELLION BOILING OVER
"REAL ID"-REAL REBELLION BOILING OVER
By Steven Yates
June 21, 2007
NewsWithViews.com
Right after my “Real ID—Real Rebellion Brewingâ€
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Privacy Advocates Resist REAL ID Act
Privacy Advocates Resist REAL ID Act
Some states, privacy advocates have joined to fight the 2005 federal law aimed at better validating identification.
By Katherine Walsh
June 21, 2007 — CSO — REAL ID may be more than just a real pain: It may have serious privacy implications as well.
The 2005 act was passed in response to the 9/11 Commission's recommendation that the government better ensure the validity of U.S. IDs. Real ID would require states to save digital copies of source documents such as birth certificates for driver's licenses and require states to share information in their driver’s license databases.
In theory, the new ID cards, which would include digital photographs and personal information in a machine-readable chip, would better verify the identity of people carrying the cards. But the legislation has raised the eyebrows of privacy advocates. In addition to the prohibitively expensive cost of implementation (estimates range between $11 billion and $23 billion) and the lack of compliance guidelines from the Department of Homeland Security, detractors argue that the creation of a national database poses inherent security risks, such as identity theft and counterfeiting. In May, 43 privacy, civil rights and consumer organizations launched a campaign to raise awareness and stop Real ID.
"There are 245 million identification cardholders nationwide. If you're linking 50 states together and providing multiple access points to multiple DMVs, that's a huge security risk," says Melissa Ngo, director of the Identification and Surveillance Project at the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC). Furthermore, the current guidelines do not establish how the data would be secured. "There are background check requirements for the DMV workers who will be accessing the data, but the information itself is unprotected," says Ngo. "It's fundamentally flawed."
After the December 2009 compliance deadline, federal agencies will not accept licenses or ID cards from people unless the issuing state is meeting Real ID requirements. Noncomplying ID will not be valid for residents who want to fly on a plane or open a bank account. "It's not really voluntary because there are immediate punishments for not complying," says Ngo.
DHS pushed back the original implementation deadline by two years in response to criticism about the cost and lack of guidance from the federal government. In the meantime, states have to prove their intent to comply with the act. Maine, Idaho, Arkansas, Washington state and Montana have already rejected participation. Other states, including California, are planning and preparing.
Bernard Soriano, CIO at the California Department of Motor Vehicles, says his team has already started working on integrating verification systems (such as Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements and Social Security Online Verification), upgrading equipment and adding storage capacity to computer systems in order to retain documents related to Real ID. Although the requirement doesn't come as a surprise to Soriano, he says that doesn't mean compliance isn't a daunting task. However, states don't have to feel completely helpless.
A Gartner report released in March outlines recommendations for states to prepare for Real ID: implement integrated document scanning, authentication and storage systems; develop privacy protections to prevent personally identifiable information from being exchanged between jurisdictions; and collaborate with other states to develop "pointer-type" systems to determine whether an individual already possesses an ID from another jurisdiction.
Additional reporting by Grant Gross of IDG News Service.
Other stories by Katherine Walsh
http://www.cio.com/article/120558/Priva ... EAL_ID_Act
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Digimarc Hires Lobbyist for Real ID
Associated Press 06.21.07, 12:00 PM ET
Digital security company Digimarc Corp. hired a former lawyer for the commission that investigated the Sept. 11 attacks to lobby the federal government, according to a disclosure form.
Janice Kephart, whose firm 9/11 Security Solutions LLC was hired by Digimarc (nasdaq: DMRC - news - people ), will lobby on issues related to the federal Real ID Act, which imposes national standards for secure state-issued driver's licenses, according to the form posted online Wednesday by the Senate's public records office.
States must adopt the federal standards by a May 11, 2008 deadline, but can apply for an extension through Dec. 31, 2009.
However, states have complained it costs too much to comply with the law, which they maintain will create long lines at motor vehicle departments. Privacy advocates also say the law essentially establishes a national ID card.
Five states - South Carolina, Montana, Washington, Oklahoma and Maine - are refusing to participate in the program.
Beaverton, Ore.-based Digimarc says it provides products and services used to make more than 60 million personal identification documents, including two-thirds of U.S. driver licenses and IDs for more than 20 countries.
Under a federal law enacted in 1995, lobbyists are required to disclose activities that could influence members of the executive and legislative branches. They must register with Congress within 45 days of being hired or engaging in lobbying.
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/06/ ... 44846.html
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DHS Telling Senate Immigration Sponsors to Kill Amendment
DHS Telling Senate Immigration Sponsors to Kill Amendment
Helicopter Association International (HAI) reports the Bush Administration is urging the architects of a comprehensive immigration bill to reject an amendment on mandatory employment verification that both the business community and immigrant advocates support.
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff has sent a letter to the chief sponsors of the Senate immigration bill, setting up a confrontation between two competing models on verifying workers’ eligibility. The latest effort by Senators Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), Max Baucus (D-Montana), and Barack Obama (D-Illinois), as reported earlier this week on HAI’s RotorNews, is an amendment to craft an employment verification system that answers the privacy and workability concerns expressed by various groups.
The employment verification provisions in the underlying Senate immigration bill are the product of separate negotiations led by Senate Republican John Kyl of Arizona and the Homeland Security Department. Kyl wants workers to present fraud-proof identification that checks against government databases for work authorization.
Senator Grassley has expressed privacy concerns about using individual tax data as part of the process over a year ago. Secretary Chertoff says the Grasley-Baucus-Obama amendment would create “job security for criminal aliensâ€
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ACLU to Senate: The Nation Opposes Real ID, It’s Time To Scrap It (6/7/2007)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: media@dcaclu.org
WASHINGTON, DC - The American Civil Liberties Union today called on Senators to support legislation stripping Real ID provisions from the Senate immigration bill. A flurry of recent activity in the state legislatures in the past week has made it clearer than ever that Americans oppose the act, and Congress needs to respond by repealing, not expanding Real ID. The ACLU also reported that a systematic review of 10,000 citizen comments on Real ID filed with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) revealed that they were almost uniformly negative.
"How long can Washington close its eyes to the reality that Americans oppose Real ID?" said Caroline Fredrickson, director of the ACLU Washington Legislative Office. "As more and more states have slammed the brakes on Real ID, some in Congress seem to be flooring the gas pedal. If Congress keeps trying to implement this costly and unworkable law Americans don't want, the only possible outcome is disaster."
Fifteen states have now passed legislation opposing Real ID. Maine, the state that kicked off the Real ID rebellion in January with a resolution, on Monday became the latest to pass a binding statute. New Hampshire and South Carolina, meanwhile, are on the verge of also joining the rebellion by passing opt-out statutes of their own.
"The governors have spoken, the state legislatures have spoken and the people have spoken," said Barry Steinhardt, director of the ACLU Technology and Liberty Program. "Real ID has gotten a big 'thumbs down,' and no amount of superficial cheerleading can save it. Americans don't want a national ID and they don't want to be monitored."
The ACLU also revealed that its own systematic review of the approximately 10,000 citizen comments submitted to DHS in response to the department's proposed Real ID regulations found only 50 comments from citizens supported the proposed regulations or the legislation itself. The vast majority called Real ID at best unworkable and at worst dangerous. DHS has previously characterized the comments as "mixed." (The ACLU's review did not include approximately 2,000 comments that DHS has not yet posted online.)
"Real ID is far too serious an issue to be tucked away in a mammoth immigration bill," said Tim Sparapani, ACLU Senior Legislative Counsel. "Real ID sets new standards for invasions of privacy and puts Americans' most person information at risk. If the nightmare scenario were to come true and the government forced Real ID onto the states, this initial rebellion we've seen would turn into an outright revolt."
The Real ID Act, if implemented, would federalize state driver's licenses and turn them into a de facto national identity card. According to DHS's own estimates, it would cost taxpayers $23 billion. Every American would need a Real ID-compliant identification card in order to fly on commercial airlines or enter government buildings. The massive government databases created by Real ID would contain Americans' most personal information - including social security numbers and copies of birth certificates. This information would be accessible to thousands of state, local and government workers across the nation, creating a one-stop shop for identity thieves.
The results of the Belden Russonello and Stewart poll are online at: www.aclu.org/safefree/general/29847leg20070523.html
A map showing the status of anti-Real ID legislation across the nation can be found at: www.realnightmare.org/news/105/
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STATES ARE TAKING A STAND AGAINST REAL ID.
Alaska
HJR 19, relating to opposition to the Real ID Act of 2005.
Arizona
SM 1003, urging the Congress to correct the unfunded mandate of the Real ID Act of 2005. (Passed Senate 29-0 on 2/19/07)
SB 1152, prohibits the state of Arizona from implementing Real ID. (Passed Senate 23-5 on 3/8/07; Passed House Committee unanimously 3/26/07).
Arkansas
SCR 16 requests that the Arkansas Congressional Delegation support the repeal of the Real ID Act. (Enacted 3/28/07)
SCR 22, urges congress to add critical privacy and civil liberty safeguards to the Real ID Act of 2005 and to fully fund or suspend implementation of the Real ID Act. (Enacted 3/28/07)
HB 2528, an act to opt out of the federal Real ID Act of 2005.
Colorado
HJR 07-1047, a resolution in opposition to the Real ID Act. (Enacted 5/4/07)
Georgia
SB 5, authorizing the governor of Georgia to delay compliance with the Real ID Act of 2005. (Enacted 5/11/07).
Hawaii
SCR 28, supporting United States Senate Bill 4117 to repeal Title II of the Real ID Act of 2005.
Check the bill's status.
SCR 29, supporting repeal of the Real ID Act of 2005.
Check the bill's status.
SCR 31, opposing the creation of a national identity card and the implementation of the Real ID Act of 2005. (Adopted 4/25/07)
Idaho
HJM 3, resolves that Idaho will not comply with the Real ID Act. (Enacted on 3/8/07).
Illinois
HJR 27, opposes any portion of the Real ID Act that violates the rights and liberties guaranteed under the Illinois and US Constitutions and urges Congress to repeal Real ID (Adopted 5/22/07).
Kentucky
HCR 122, urges Congress to repeal the creation of a national ID card and the Real ID Act of 2005. (Passed out of committee 2/20/07).
SCR 111, a concurrent resolution urging Congress to repeal the creation of a national ID card.
Louisiana
HCR 20, memorializes Congress to repeal the Real ID Act. (Adopted by House 5/21/07; Passed Senate committee 5/31/07)
Maine
SP 113, Maine's resolution against the Real ID Act of 2005 (Enacted 1/25/07).
LD 1138, an act to prohibit Maine from participating in a national identification system. (Passed by the Legislature 6/5/07)
Maryland
SJ 5, protesting the implementation of the federal Real ID Act of 2005; requesting the United States Congress to repeal the Real ID Act of 2005.
Massachusetts
SB 2138, memorializing the Congress on the Real ID Act.
Michigan
SR 62, a resolution to memorialize the Congress to reject the Real ID Act of 2005 and to express the intention of the Michigan Legislature regarding this Act.
Minnesota
HF 1438 prohibits public safety commissioner from complying with the Real ID Act.
SF 0984 Real ID Act compliance prohibition. (Passed Senate 4/18/07)
Missouri
HCR 20, relating to a prohibition on the implementation of the federal Real ID Act. (Adopted 5/17/07)
HB 868, prohibits the state from participating in any national ID system that uses driving records.
SCR 11 prohibits the state from participating in the implementation of the Real ID Act. (Passed committee 2/28/07)
Montana
HB 287, opposing implementation of Real ID in Montana (Enacted 4/17/07).
Nebraska
LR 28 opposes the enactment of the Real ID Act in Nebraska and urges Congress to repeal. (Adopted 5/30/07)
Nevada
AJR 6, urges Congress to repeal the Real ID Act of 2005. (Adopted 5/14/07)
SJR 5, Nevada Senate version of AJR 6, urging Congress to repeal the Real ID Act of 2005.
New Hampshire
HB 685, prohibits the state from participating in a national identification system. (Passed House 268-8 on 4/5/07; Passed Senate with amendments 5/24/07)
New Mexico
House Joint Memorial 13, calling for repeal of Real ID (Passed House of Representatives 2/1/07).
Senate Joint Memorial 11 (PDF), opposing the creation of a national identity card and the implementation of Real ID.
New York
Assembly Bill K 648, urging the NYS Congressional delegation to support measures to repeal the Real ID Act of 2005.
Senate Bill J 2096, urging the NYS Congressional delegation to support measures to repeal the Real ID Act of 2005.
North Dakota
SCR4040, urges the United States Congress to repeal the Real ID Act of 2005. (Adopted 4/20/07)
Ohio
HCR 18, urges the President and the Congress to repeal the Real ID Act.
Oklahoma
SB 464, opposing the implementation of Real ID in Oklahoma. (Enacted 5/23/07).
HCR 1019, memorializing Congress to repeal the Real ID Act of 2005. (Passed House 3/13/07)
Oregon
SB 424 (as amended) prohibits the state from complying with the Real ID Act without federal funds, guarantees of data security and privacy safeguards; also requires applicants for OR licenses to prove lawful presence. (Passed Senate 5/15/07)
HJM 11 urges congress to provide funding, guarantees of data security and privacy safeguards. (Passed House 5/15/07)
Pennsylvania
HR 100, a resolution memorializing the Congress of the United States to repeal or delay the creation of a national identification card and the implementation of the Real ID Act of 2005.
HR 101, urging the United States Secretary of Homeland Security to provide the assistance needed for implementation of the Real ID Act of 2005 and urging the Congress of the United States to provide the funding needed for implementation of the act.
HR 296, opposing implementation of the costly federal standards imposed under the Real ID Act of 2005. (Adopted 6/19/07).
SR 126, memorializing the Congress of the United States to repeal or delay the creation of a national identification card and the implementation of the Real ID Act of 2005.
Rhode Island
H 5474, a Joint Resolution opposing the implementation of Real ID.
S 865, opposing implementation of Real ID.
South Carolina
S 449, provides that the state will not participate in the Real ID program. (Enacted 6/13/07)
H 3989, memorializing Congress to repeal or decline implementation of the Real ID Act. (Adopted 5/31/07)
Tennessee
SJR 248, opposes implementation of Real ID. (Adopted 6/11/07)
SJR 333, urges repeal of the Real ID Act and states Tennessee's position of non-compliance.
Texas
HCR 148, refusing to implement the federal Real ID Act of 2005.
SCR 40, opposing the federal REAL ID Act of 2005 as an unfunded mandate.
Utah
House Resolution 2 calls on the US Congress to repeal the Real ID Act. (Passed the Utah House 66-0 with 9 members absent 2-16-07)
Vermont
Joint House Resolution 2, opposing implementation of the Real ID Act of 2005 in Vermont. (Passed House of Representatives 2/8/07)
Joint Senate Resolution 15, urges congress to appropriate funds for state implementation and adopt the changes to the REAL ID Act.
Washington
SB 5087 (PDF), opposing the implementation of the Real ID Act of 2005 in Washington State. (Enacted 4/18/07)
SJM 8005 (PDF), calling for the federal government to repeal the Real ID Act of 2005.
Check the bill's status.
West Virginia
SCR 38, urging the President of the United States and Congress to repeal the Real ID Act of 2005. (Adopted by Senate 2/15/07)
HB 3219 and SB 685, provide that West Virginia will not participate in the Real ID program.
Wisconsin
State Representatives Louis J. Molepske, Jr. (D-Stevens Point) and Jeff Wood (RChippewa Falls) introduced legislation on 6-7-07 calling for privacy safeguards and federal funding before compliance with Real ID. Press Release
Wyoming
House Joint Resolution 8, requesting Congress to repeal the creation of a national identification card and implementation of the Real ID Act of 2005. (Passed House of Representatives 2/5/07)
Map of legislative action
http://www.realnightmare.org/news/105/
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Thanks for posting these girlygirl369 :D
Most people cringe at the thought of agreeing with the ACLU as did I. But since they are largely tax payer funded and I am a taxpayer I will gladly accept their help to defeat them on this issue while fighting them every step of the way on just about every other issue they fight for.
I will not accept this id in any way shape or form.
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What if we just ignore 'Real ID'?
What if we just ignore 'Real ID'?
No more flights or federal jury duty? Let’s just see
Our lawmakers in Salem have refused so far to go along with the federal “Real ID Act.â€
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Planned worker ID called vulnerable
Planned worker ID called vulnerable
Effort to control immigration could boost identity theft
Carolyn Lochhead, Chronicle Washington Bureau
Monday, June 25, 2007
(06-25) 04:00 PDT Washington -- The linchpin of all new proposals to control illegal immigration, including a Senate bill up for reconsideration this week, is an electronic employer verification system to shut off the job magnet that has attracted millions of illegal workers to the United States.
A government that cannot issue passports to 3 million U.S. citizens in time for summer holidays is expected to create a vast work-authorization system for more than 7 million U.S. employers and eventually all 146 million U.S. workers that is quick, accurate and safe.
Yet according to a confidential new study commissioned by the Department of Homeland Security, the system that would do this -- known as Web Basic Pilot -- is vulnerable to identity theft, employer misuse, privacy breaches and data inaccuracies. Heavy enforcement would be required to prevent it from being evaded by illegal workers and employers alike.
Under the Senate bill, the Web Basic Pilot employee verification system would be expanded from a small, voluntary test involving 17,000 employers to a nationwide program starting 18 months after enactment. Employers would use it to check government databases held by the Social Security Administration and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to determine if a new hire is authorized to work as a citizen, legal permanent resident or temporary worker.
Within three years, all workers, including U.S. citizens, would be checked.
The idea is to fix a fatal flaw in the 1986 immigration overhaul that made it illegal to hire unauthorized workers, but was never fully enforced because of rampant document fraud. The need for a new system is so universally accepted that its scope and implementation have drawn perhaps less scrutiny than any other aspect of immigration reform.
But while Web Basic Pilot is good at detecting fake documents, it is wide open to identity theft -- where a person may present a valid Social Security number that is stolen or borrowed from another person, according to a report by the Westat research firm. The study is circulating among lobbyists backing a controversial Senate amendment to narrow and possibly weaken the system.
Web Basic Pilot is not designed to detect identity theft, a growing problem involving credit card, bank and other kinds of financial fraud. Experts warn that a new national work-authorization program could increase identity theft exponentially by expanding the market for stolen identities of workers.
"It is likely that employees will more frequently obtain counterfeit, borrowed or stolen documents" from people who have work authorization, the study said.
Businesses, unions and immigrant advocates all criticize the program -- perhaps understandably because the plan is designed to weed out illegal employment.
But computer experts also warn of the difficulties in devising any system of such size. Peter Neumann, principal scientist at the Computer Science Laboratory in Menlo Park, three weeks ago outlined to Congress the manifold potential pitfalls, calling the state-of-the-art in such large-scale systems very poor.
Speaking for the Association for Computing Machinery, a scientific and educational group, Neumann said lawmakers frequently have outsized expectations of technological fixes for social problems. He also cited a string of government software development fiascos that include "many highly visible projects that have been late, over budget, or indeed abandoned after many years and large expenditures."
Two former chiefs of federal immigration, Doris Meissner, a Democratic appointee, and James Ziglar, a Republican appointee, wrote recently that if the current Web Basic Pilot becomes mandatory, "the incentive for generating documents with real but stolen Social Security numbers will significantly increase. Document vendors will charge ever-heftier fees to those seeking papers, employers will hire them with impunity, and the availability of work for unauthorized workers will continue to be a powerful stimulus for illegal immigration, this time seriously compromising the integrity of Social Security numbers and records."
Others contend that building such a system, while difficult and costly, is possible.
"No one is thinking this bill is going to be 100 percent Star Wars-style efficiency, but if we could get 90 percent of the way there, that's a huge improvement," said Stewart Verdery, a former policy official at the Department of Homeland Security.
The cost, he predicted, will run into the billions of dollars. "My worry is that we've underfunded the unsexy part of immigration enforcement for a long time -- the IT systems, the identification documents -- and have pumped money into Border Patrol agents" and virtual fences, Verdery said. "But when you look at the system, those are the things that really, at the back end, make this work."
Although the system's accuracy has greatly improved from earlier non-Web versions begun more than a decade ago, 8 percent of potential new hires are still not instantly verified, according to a study of the pilot program. Seven percent of all verification attempts were unresolved for one reason or another, in part reflecting the 5 percent of the work force that is illegal.
Still, error rates on the work-authorized foreign born remain unacceptably high, the study found, with a nearly 11 percent error rate, where a legally authorized worker is rejected by mistake, often because of failure to update records.
The system is vulnerable to anyone who might pose as an employer to gain access, the study found. Computer scientist Neumann warned that it is a certainty that criminals would begin crafting "phishing" e-mails pretending to be from the Department of Homeland Security requesting worker information from unsuspecting employers.
Under any circumstance, the study said, the system would require heavy enforcement -- including raids and monitoring -- to make it work.
The idea of the Senate legislation is to legalize those here illegally now, so they would not have to commit fraud to work, and provide for future legal workers through an authorized guest-worker program. But if people do not choose to legalize, or if a guest worker program proves cumbersome or inadequate to meet demand, the incentive to find a way around the new verification system will remain.
As a way to get around the identity theft problem, the system would rely on the proposed new REAL ID secure driver's license -- aimed at verifying legal status -- that many states are already resisting. Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff insists that secure driver's licenses -- which would allow employers to check an online digital photograph in addition to a Social Security number to verify workers -- are essential to thwart identity theft, but Congress may eliminate that requirement. REAL ID driver's licenses aren't scheduled to go into effect until December 2009. The department is now testing a system with 80 employers that checks digital photos on green cards and other work authorizations for legal immigrants, but doesn't cover citizens.
Mike Aitken, director of government affairs for the Society for Human Resource Management, said current driver's licenses pose a big loophole. A person could steal a valid Social Security number that matches a name, present the number to a state motor vehicle department, have their picture taken, and walk out with "a legitimate driver's license issued by the State of California that I can then use for employment. It's the impostor's photo on the driver's license, and it's a legal, legitimate driver's license, but I have stolen someone's identity."
And because immigration documents are being made more secure, he predicted it will become "more likely that U.S. citizens' identities are going to be stolen and fraudulently used for employment by those who don't want to come out of the shadows. It's going to happen. It will be worse than what we have now."
Tim Sparapani, senior legislative counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union, argued that the system would give the government unprecedented power to deny people the right to work, but ultimately would prove ineffective.
"I think there is an erroneous concept post-9/11 in this country that somehow if we can just get your name and some data about you and get you on a card, we will have made our country more secure, or we'll stop immigrants from coming to this country, but none of that is really true," Sparapani said. "Those things are barriers, but they're easily overcome."
Critics contend that even tiny error rates can be greatly magnified when expanded to the entire workforce. About 60 million people change jobs each year alone. The Social Security Administration database has a 4.1 percent error rate because of name changes, data entry errors and other problems. If 149 million workers are checked through the system, that could yield more than 6 million errors, leading many legitimate workers into bureaucratic tangles and possibly overwhelming an already burdened Social Security Administration.
"As many people as change jobs in our country, even a 1 percent error rate would have a horrific impact on a lot of people," Verdery said.
E-mail Carolyn Lochhead at clochhead@sfchronicle.com.
This article appeared on page A - 4 of the San Francisco Chronicle
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.c ... QL6VH1.DTL
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N.H. law bans Real ID
N.H. law bans Real ID
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
N.H. law bans Real ID
By NORMA LOVE
Associated Press Writer
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) _ New Hampshire joined five other states Wednesday in rejecting the federal Real ID Act as tantamount to requiring a national ID card.
"Here in New Hampshire, we pride ourselves on being frugal, and here in New Hampshire, we pride ourselves on respecting the privacy of our neighbors," Gov. John Lynch said at a bill signing.
South Carolina, Montana, Washington, Oklahoma and Maine also have rejected the federal act.
New Hampshire's law calls the act "repugnant" to the state and federal constitutions. The law prohibits the state from complying with the act, which sets standards for state-issued driver's licenses.
"We are not about to be coerced into an unfunded mandate, especially one we'd have to pay for with our privacy," Lynch said.
The bill also contains an unrelated provision to pay a death benefit for police and firefighters killed in the line of duty. Two police officers have died in the line of duty in the past eight months.
Real ID opponents said the state needed to send a clear statement that the federal government went too far in threatening individual privacy.
"We've got to pay attention to what the federal government thinks up for small states like New Hampshire," state Sen. Peter Burling said.
Last year, New Hampshire _ one of two states picked to pilot the Real ID program _ was the first state to consider rejecting the federal law, but the bill failed in the Senate.
Still, other states took up the fight. This spring Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire and Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer signed similar bills blocking their states from implementing the national rules.
Rep. Neal Kurk, R-Weare, the prime sponsor of the New Hampshire bill, says legislation or resolutions have been introduced in at least 26 states opposing Real ID.
"Your voices were heard in Concord and hopefully will be heard in Washington," he said.
President Bush recently bowed to pressure from the nation's governors and Congress and granted states until Dec. 31, 2009, to comply. Two years ago, Congress set a deadline for states to meet uniform licensing standards by May 2008.
The law passed in response to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. It requires all states to bring their driver's licenses under a national standard and to link their record-keeping systems. States must verify identification used to obtain a driver's license, such as birth certificates, Social Security numbers and passports.
Driver's licenses not meeting the standard won't be accepted as identification to board an airplane or enter a federal building.
Critics complain the law is too intrusive and costly to states to implement. They also say a national database of drivers' information will be a target for thieves looking to steal identities.
Lynch and the Executive Council rejected the $3 million federal grant attached to the pilot project last year. Earlier this year, he reiterated his concern that Real ID could end up costing the state tens of millions of dollars for implementation and enforcement, and said he also had privacy concerns.
http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ar ... 1/70627059
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Legislators want state to reject ID
Legislators want state to reject ID
by Jake Stump
Daily Mail Staff
The Real ID Act is a real bad idea, according to states that have already passed laws defying the controversial initiative that would establish a national ID system.
Some West Virginia lawmakers are hoping the state follows the lead of six others -- Maine, Montana, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Washington -- that have decided not to comply with the federal law requiring new driver's licenses nationwide.
This new system, first recommended by the 9/11 Commission, aims to thwart fraud, identify theft and terrorism.
But state legislatures say the law is too invasive of civil rights and would cost millions of dollars. The National Conference of State Legislatures estimates it would cost states more than $11 billion collectively.
Earlier estimates from the West Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles indicate the state would spend at least $65 million to meet the new federal requirements.
Sen. Clark Barnes, R-Randolph, believes that's an extremely conservative estimate and that West Virginia could actually be paying more than $200 million.
Barnes said he discussed the issue at length with Maine legislators at the recent legislative conference for the Council of State Governments in Puerto Rico.
Maine, which has a population of 1.2 million, estimated a price tag of $185 million. Barnes noted West Virginia has a higher population at 1.8 million and a similar driver's license system.
"I compared how they did their license applications, and it sounded like we were doing things identically," Barnes said. "So I would challenge the figures in our estimate."
Though the federal government is advising states to comply with Real ID, it is not contributing any money to the effort.
The federal government can't force states to comply, though residents of noncompliant states may be restricted from airports and federal buildings if their driver's licenses do not meet national standards.
But if that were the case, residents in those states would likely still be able to use other forms of ID to board planes or enter a federal building.
Barnes was one of 13 sponsors of bipartisan Senate legislation that was introduced in February to resist the Real ID Act. The House introduced a similar bill, but both fizzled out in committees.
Delegate Bonnie Brown, D-Kanawha, was one of the lead sponsors of the House bill. She believes the federal act would pose more harm on innocent, law-abiding citizens rather than its intended targets -- criminals and terrorists.
"It would be such a hardship, especially on elderly people," Brown said. "It's just a nightmare right now.
"I don't see how spending millions of dollars on this is going to prevent terrorism. And frankly, we don't have the money."
Lawmakers are hopeful the recent actions of other state legislatures will spur West Virginia into passing a bill before the May 2008 deadline for compliance. States are to have completed implementation by May 2013.
The federal law passed in response to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. It requires all states to bring their driver's licenses under a national standard and to link their record-keeping systems. States must verify identification used to obtain a driver's license, such as birth certificates, Social Security numbers and passports.
Lara Ramsburg, spokeswoman for Gov. Joe Manchin, said the governor has assembled a team that is currently evaluating the possible ramifications of Real ID.
She said she expected a decision from the governor by the end of summer on whether or not to commit to the system.
"The cost is a tremendous challenge," Ramsburg said. "There are also technology issues. Are we going to spend money putting this in and have to spend more down the road if rule changes alter it significantly?"
The new ID cards will contain the same information as current driver's licenses -- a person's name, date of birth, sex, ID number, address and signature.
But the cards might come in black-and-white, instead of color, and be printed on an expensive polycarbonate material.
The state's current driver's licenses already contain three layers of security -- overt, covert and confidential. Some of those features include the holograms and barcode on the license, which prevent duplication.
Some believe major civil liberties violations will emerge from a national ID system. That could pose an even bigger problem than any monetary costs associated with the act.
"It's not the Methodist grandmother in Buckhannon who's hijacking airplanes and threatening this country," Barnes said. "What really ticks me off is the federal government keeps asking us to give up our civil liberties to be safe. We've got folks coming in from the outside causing these problems."
Because every state will have easy access to a nationwide database under Real ID, Barnes believes West Virginia residents could be unfairly treated in other states. For instance, he wondered if a West Virginian heading to Canada for a hunting trip would be pulled over in Massachusetts and have the vehicle searched.
"Massachusetts is a state with very controlled gun laws," Barnes said. "Police could find out if he purchased a box of 30-30 shells in West Virginia through this system. Every agency in the country would know if he's made a purchase, and that bothers me."
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Jeff Kessler, D-Marshall, also sponsored the anti-Real ID bill earlier this year.
Kessler doesn't think the state will end up complying with the law.
"I'd be very reluctant to give the federal government any additional authority over these issues," Kessler said. "I've seen how the current administration has infringed on civil rights. But the Constitution gives individual states enough control over what goes on within their boundaries."
Contact writer Jake Stump at jakestump@dailymail.com or 348-4842.
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