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

A real ID dilemma
Wednesday, May. 21, 2008 3:00 am

The REAL ID Act deserves the fair and open debate in Raleigh it didn’t get in Washington.

Congress included the directive in a larger legislative package of anti-terrorism funding and tsunami relief three years ago and approved it without much discussion. It did follow a recommendation of the 9/11 Commission that the federal government "set standards for the issuance of sources of identification, such as driver’s licenses." But, as the deadline for compliance approached, many states raised objections.

North Carolina is one of the latest. State Rep. Nelson Cole, D-Rockingham, last week filed a bill blocking compliance with the federal law. As with similar measures in other states, the effort draws support from liberals and conservatives. Co-sponsors of Cole’s measure include Democratic Reps. Pricey Harrison and Maggie Jeffus of Greensboro and Republican Reps. Cary Allred of Burlington and Jerry Dockham of Denton.

Critics say the REAL ID Act forces states to spend millions to tighten standards for issuing driver’s licenses, puts personal privacy at risk by creating a new database of identification information and won’t significantly strengthen national security.

Those are serious concerns that deserve careful examination. So do the potential benefits claimed by proponents of the act.

Even if REAL ID was adopted too quickly in Washington, it should not be rejected in Raleigh without due deliberation. Cole’s bill should be referred to an appropriate committee, which should call witnesses who can spell out the advantages, costs and drawbacks of compliance with this measure.

North Carolina is not required to participate in the REAL ID program. However, there will be consequences for North Carolina residents if the state doesn’t meet the Dec. 31, 2009, deadline. Unless their state-issued driver’s licenses meet the criteria set out in federal law, they won’t be accepted as valid identification to pass airport security gates or to gain access to federal facilities. In most cases, residents will have to use passports instead. A passport, the original national ID, is a document that every American really ought to have, anyway.

Griping from Raleigh about the REAL ID rings a bit hollow. The state’s notoriously lax standards for issuing driver’s licenses, now largely corrected, helped bring this about. Most of the 9/11 terrorists carried driver’s licenses from states with similar policies. For many years, illegal immigrants found it easy to gain a North Carolina driver’s license. There’s nothing wrong with the federal government’s determination that states should subject license applicants to closer scrutiny. States that refuse shouldn’t expect their licenses to hold much credibility nationally.

At the same time, costs and privacy fears must be examined. It’s a big step for North Carolina to either comply with or reject this federal initiative, and it should proceed only after considering all the facts.

To comment on this editorial, visit the blog Your Voice at the Table.


http://www.news-record.com/apps/pbcs.dl ... /566697168

Not on ballot yet, but petitions seek voter support
By Victoria Wallack
State House News Service

AUGUSTA (May 21, 200: Voters going to the polls on primary Election Day, June 10, could be asked to sign as many as seven petitions for proposed ballot initiatives ranging from the so-called TABOR 2 tax and spending limit to a ban on gay marriages.

Four of the petitions are holdovers from last year and their proponents are confident they can get the 55,087 signatures needed by January to get the proposals on the November 2009 ballot.

They include a repeal of the state’s school consolidation law; a modified version of the Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR) that was defeated in 2006 by a 54-46 percent vote; a proposal to cut the motor vehicle excise tax in half; and, a measure that would allow Mainers to purchase health insurance coverage in other New England states.

Two are people’s veto petitions to overturn laws passed by the Legislature this past session. They include repeals of the new soda, beer, wine and insurance taxes to fund the state’s subsidized Dirigo Health insurance program; and tighter restrictions on issuing Maine driver’s licenses to begin compliance with the federal Real ID law. The people’s veto proponents must collect the 55,087 signatures by July 17 to get the repeals on this November’s ballot.

The seventh petition is being circulated by the Christian Civic League of Maine, which aims to get its new referendum on the November 2009 ballot. It would overturn language added to the Maine Human Rights Act to protect gays and lesbians from discrimination and prohibit same-sex marriage or adoption by an unmarried couple.

Three of the proposed ballot questions were initially promoted by the Maine Heritage Policy Center, a conservative think tank in Portland, but are now being handed over to a new conservative group – Maine Leads of Augusta. Ray Lenardson, Maine Leads director, was a spokesman for the first TABOR campaign and a former tax policy analyst for Maine Heritage. He says the two groups will work in tandem to help articulate a more conservative fiscal policy to Maine voters.

Maine Leads will be the politically active partner, gathering signatures for TABOR 2, the excise tax reduction and health care reform. Lenardson said he is confident the group will get its needed signatures this summer.

Skip Greenlaw of Stonington, head of the Maine Coalition to Save Schools, is in charge of the petition drive to overturn Maine’s new school district consolidation law. He says his group already has more than 40,000 signatures and hopes to get the rest at the June 10 primary.

Greenlaw had been worried that changes made to the law during the last legislative session would render the initial petition moot.

Julie Flynn, head of elections for the Secretary of State’s Office, said any challenge to the validity of the petition would not be considered until after the signatures are handed in and an election held.

“We don’t really have any authority to determine that before the fact,â€

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ID law debated at public hearing

BY GEORGE MILLER
george.miller@timesnews.com [more details]



Published: May 23. 2008 6:00AM


Pennsylvania is trying to decide whether it will comply with new federal regulations for issuing driver's licenses and state ID cards.

Advocates say changes are necessary to increase security and protect citizens against terrorism and even identity theft.

Opponents say the new system will violate individual privacy rights and be just another step in the creation of a national database on individuals.

Those two themes played out during a public hearing held by state Rep. W. Curtis Thomas, of Philadelphia, D-181st Dist. and chairman of the House Intergovernmental Affairs Committee, at Erie City Council chambers Thursday.

About 40 residents attended.


The state Department of Transportation has requested an extension until Dec. 31, 2009, to comply with the law. The Legislature must decide by then. States do not have to comply with the act, but its residents would then have to use some other form of identification to board airplanes or enter secure federal facilities.

Neil Berro, director of community relations for the Coalition for a Secure Driver's License, said the Real ID Act will help deter terrorism and help prevent identify theft and fraud.

He testified in earlier hearings that Pennsylvania already has a "rigorous and complete" process for authenticating the identity of driver's license applicants and will benefit as other states have to "clean up their act."

But Andy Hoover, a community organizer and legislative assistant with the American Civil Liberties Union, said the act "is an unprecedented invasion of privacy" by creating a national database of information.

"The Real ID Act essentially turns our state driver's licenses into a national identification card," he said.


Nick Ramaglia, 26, a pharmacist tech from Pittsburgh, carried a sign in opposition to the act.

"It's really going to cost a lot of money, and it's an invasion of our privacy," he said.

Thomas, the committee chairman, said there is also a concern about the cost of implementing the act.

GEORGE MILLER can be reached at 870-1724 or by e-mail.

http://www.goerie.com/apps/pbcs.dll/art ... 64/-1/NEWS

Real ID license actually a surveillance card
Kennebec Journal & Morning Sentinel 05/24/2008



All of today's: News | Sports
from the Morning Sentinel

In response to Joseph Reisert's article about Real ID driver's licenses: A Real ID driver's license would be required to enter an airport, board a plane or enter a federal building. If, rather than have a Real ID license, I decide not to enter an airport, board an airplane or enter a federal building, why do I need a Real ID driver's license to drive a car?

Ah, because an ordinary driver's license in Corporate America is used to cash checks, which are used to buy groceries and other merchandise and to pay bills for electricity, TV and telephones -- in short, checks make up the entire fabric of the corporate state.

If everyone had a Real ID, everything about a citizen could be fed into a database describing the person's income, purchases, reading habits, job description, medical records. A GPS profile could be made showing where that citizen is on the planet at any given time. A Real ID driver's license is really a surveillance card.

What Reisert seems to be saying is that to have our military empire, financed by the corporate state, we must give up freedom as a political institution and accept the fact that war is peace, freedom is slavery, ignorance is strength. Not to mention the tautology that surveillance is security.

Bob Doel

Vassalboro

http://morningsentinel.mainetoday.com/v ... 23710.html

Real ID has so many pitfalls and not enough money to back it up

May 25, 2008

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Prepare for backups and even repeat visits to the Motor Vehicles office with the coming of Real ID. That's fair warning from the Delaware administrator about the looming federal security law that lumps counterterrorism with ordinary state transactions to license drivers.
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That is, unless Congress repeals Real ID because of its logistical and financial burdens. And there is a contingent of Washington legislators who think the law should be scrapped and redone more reasonably.

The overarching logic of Real ID is compelling after the country's tragic experience. Americans know the sorry saga of the 9/11 hijackers who passed through airport security, belatedly red-flagging failures in intelligence, aviation, immigration and border control. While in the United States, those terror plotters also opened bank accounts and obtained personal identification from several states' motor vehicles departments.

The 9/11 Commission that investigated the 2001 plot concluded, "Targeting travel is at least as powerful a weapon against terrorists as targeting their money." And the commission recommended, "The federal government should set standards for the issuance of birth certificates and sources of identification, such as drivers licenses."

But the execution of the Real ID law is a huge technical challenge. The law ordered that driver licenses and identification with photos be tamperproof, machine-readable and verify U.S. citizenship or legal immigration status.

So every issuing jurisdiction must not only supply such materials and do background checks to vouch that an applicant's documents are valid, all these old and new documents must be interchangeable everywhere for 245 million U.S. drivers.

Americans are inherently jealous of their liberties and privacy, even though modern interaction at every level of life involves institutional accumulation of personal information literally from birth. Of necessity, we all have documents and records -- regardless of conspiracy theorists' dire scenarios about bureaucratic intrusion.

Fraud does have potentially disastrous consequences in national security as well as personal identity theft by common criminals. Yet U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Akaka of Hawaii, of the Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, fears Real ID might actually make identity theft "one-stop shopping" for thieves.

Moreover, he and others cite the huge financial gap between varying multi-billion-dollar estimates for Real ID's execution and the paltry millions allocated to help states do all this work. Sen. Akaka and several cosponsors are for repeal.

Since the Homeland Security Department's creation, recurring disappointments and delays with technology still being invented for such tasks certainly raise doubts about Real ID's effective start date of 2010.

With a year and a half to go before Real ID is supposed to be ready to roll, it's time to decide if it's really possible to link up such a fail-safe system, and at what price. And will the government back up a federal security commitment with the right amount of money?

If this is only going to be an unreliable make-work project, pull the plug.


http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs ... 04/OPINION

William Jackson | Not too late to debate
Cybereye—commentary: Taking a second look at the Real ID Act

By William Jackson

A BIPARTISAN BLAST was launched against the Real ID Act earlier this month at a forum the Cato Institute called the beginning of a long-overdue debate on the law establishing mandatory national standards for state driver’s licenses and identity cards.

“Invasive, expensive and an affront to all of those who cherish privacy rightsâ€

United States Against Real ID
Press Conference of Nov. 14, 2007, 12:00 p.m.
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania State Capitol
Called by Senator Mike Folmer, Pennsylvania State Senate
Presenters:
Pennsylvania Senator Mike Folmer
South Carolina State Representative Eric Bedingfield
South Carolina State Senator Larry Martin (given by Bedingfield)
Maine State Senator Libby Mitchell
Maine State Representative Scott Lansley
Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap
Pennsylvania State Rep. Sam Rohrer
Pennsylvania State Rep. Babette Josephs
Penna. Legislative Director, ACLU Larry Frankel
National Veterans Committee on Constitutional Affairs
(State coordinator James R. Compton, III, CDR USN Ret. &
Aaron Bolinger, Legislative Director)
Page 2
Page 3
Page 4
Statement of Eric Bedingfield
South Carolina (R-District 2
November 14, 2007, Real ID Press Conference, Harrisburg, PA
It’s wonderful to be here today along with so many legislators and State Leaders in this, our
Sister State of Pennsylvania. This union is indeed strong, and can be proven all the more so, if
we stand as United States Against Real ID.
In South Carolina, as in Pennsylvania, my colleagues heard a message loud and clear from our
people. Individuals representing women’s groups, assorted theologies, veterans, and many more
poured into the House Committee room this year when we took up the issue of Real ID in the
form of S 449. We amended that bill in committee to be the shortest and perhaps strongest anti-
Real ID message sent to Congress thus far. In total, the bill reads:
“The State shall not participate in the implementation of the Federal Real ID Act.â€

ACLU Opposes Real ID Act
By IAN HICKS Staff Writer
POSTED: May 29, 2008




The Wheeling chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union voted unanimously Wednesday to oppose the Real ID Act, a controversial law mandating national standards for state-issued drivers’ licenses and identification cards.

The Real ID Act, which was signed into law May 11, 2005, set national standards for what data is included on identification cards, what documentation must be presented when applying and for the sharing of motor vehicle databases between states. The original deadline for compliance was to be May 11 of this year, but the federal government has extended that deadline to Dec. 31, 2009.

Much of the opposition to the act stems from the use of machine-readable technology, which is a standardized two-dimensional bar code. Some believe this could enable the federal government to more easily track the activities of Americans.

“The government wants to keep track of everyone. It is (the ACLU’s) mission to protect civil and human rights, including privacy,â€

Diverse group is unified on need to serve everyone

By JASON CLAYWORTH • jclayworth@dmreg.com • May 29, 2008


The Democratic candidates in Iowa House District 65 are, like the Des Moines area they're from, diverse.

And they all say they're dedicated to embracing that diversity.

"I think the important thing is that you're willing to engage all groups of people," said Tyler Reedy, a former community organizer for Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement. "It's not necessarily the color of your skin, sexual orientation or religion or any of those things. It's the willingness to engage people and figure out their issues, no matter who you are."
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Of Iowa's 150 state lawmakers, only one is openly gay: Sen. Matt McCoy, a Des Moines Democrat. Four lawmakers are black: the District 65 incumbent, Wayne Ford, who is seeking re-election, plus Reps. Ako Abdul-Samad of Des Moines, Deborah Berry of Waterloo and Helen Miller of Fort Dodge. Iowa also has one lawmaker who is a native of India, Rep. Swati Dandekar, a Democrat from Marion.

Charles Hoffman, the third Democratic candidate in District 65, is openly gay. Minority representation is important, he said, because minorities work as role models while helping to serve the needs of all Iowans. However, he's not seeking votes based on his sexuality. So far, the issue has rarely surfaced in his campaign, he said.

"I don't think candidates should win just because of their sexual orientation or color but what they can do for the people of the district, and if they happen to be minorities, that is great," Hoffman said.

Ford has served in District 65 since 1997 and is the longest-serving black state legislator in the state's history. When elected, he was the only black legislator.

"I am, of course, pleased to see that more minorities are running for office," Ford said. "My job is to continue to represent all the people living in House District 65, no matter their race, religion, creed, age, gender or sexual orientation."

Some areas of District 65 have more than 30 percent minorities, according the U.S. census. Minorities make up 7 percent of Iowa's total population.

The candidates differ in their strategies for encouraging economic growth. Hoffman's focus is on small-business development. Ford emphasizes alternative energy and "green" companies. Reedy puts a priority on cutting health-care costs.

The winner of Tuesday's primary will face Republican David Barnett of Des Moines in the general election.

CANDIDATE Q&A

What is the most important thing the Legislature should do to encourage economic growth in Iowa in the next two years? In the next 10 years?

HOFFMAN: Economic growth in Iowa is possible if lawmakers encourage the development of small businesses, Hoffman said. He cited a Small Business Administration report that said 25.5 million small businesses in the United States generate more than half of the nation's gross domestic product; represent 26 percent of America's exporters; create 80 percent of all the net new jobs in the United States; and employ 52 percent of the private sector work force.

FORD: Lawmakers must continue to bring new companies to Iowa, especially those that deal with alternative energy and the "green" movement, Ford said. The new companies would bring more jobs and new families, he said. "New businesses have already helped many Iowans find good jobs, and we must make sure that we continue to support and promote this growth," Ford said.

REEDY: Lawmakers should focus on health care issues in the next two years as a way to encourage economic development, Reedy said. He advocates a single-payer universal health insurance program at the state level. The program would cost the average Iowan less than the current private health insurance system, Reedy said. Over the next 10 years, the state should focus on creating a green economy, Reedy said. "There is a lot of work to be done if we are to free ourselves from our dependence on foreign oil and do so in a way that will not hasten global climate change," he said.

What is your top goal for education in Iowa, and what steps should be taken in the next two years?

HOFFMAN: Lawmakers should focus on Head Start programs, as well as kindergarten through 12th grade. For students in the early and middle grades, lawmakers should encourage achievement above the national average, Hoffman said. And for students at the end of their high school career, lawmakers should work to provide academic preparation and make sure they are ready for postsecondary education, he added. "Let's make sure our children are ready for the first grade, and if not, get them the appropriate help needed to advance," he said.

FORD: Quality and accessibility are Ford's top education goals. He believes the state should focus on expansion of early education. "We know that those students who start kindergarten with better skills tend to do better throughout their school years," Ford said.

REEDY: Career and technical education programs should be expanded to prepare students, Reedy said. The programs would help fill the state's need for skilled laborers and give students the skills to obtain jobs that pay well, he said.

What, if anything, should state government do to address issues related to illegal immigrants in Iowa?

HOFFMAN: Iowa lawmakers need to hold companies more accountable for hiring illegal immigrants, Hoffman said. He does not believe that the Real ID Act will be effective. The 2005 federal law imposes certain authentication standards for state driver's licenses and state identification cards in order for them to be accepted by the federal government for official purposes. "We must remember that immigrants to the U.S., whether their status is legal resident, citizen or undocumented person, all have the same rights under the Constitution," Hoffman said.

FORD: The state must abide by the mandates set by the federal government, Ford said. People or businesses who exploit illegal immigrants for profit should face penalties, he said. However, the state should ensure that the young children of immigrants are safe and healthy, he said.

REEDY: The immigration issue must be addressed immediately for the sake of immigrants and society at large, Reedy said. However, he believes that most of the changes must be made at the federal level by changing trade policies and immigration quotas. "While we are waiting for this to be addressed at the federal level, the state should protect human rights and due process, and encourage families to learn English," Reedy said.

Should the state raise the tax on motor fuels to raise money for road repairs?

HOFFMAN: No. Hoffman said he doesn't believe that raising the motor fuels tax would be appropriate for raising money needed for road repair. Instead, he believes lawmakers should work to cut unnecessary spending. "With the skyrocketing price of gas and families struggling to make ends meet, I do not think we should burden hardworking families to pay yet another tax," Hoffman said.

FORD: No. The rise in the price of gas is already a burden on most Iowans, Ford said. "The people in my district cannot afford higher taxes," he said.

REEDY: No. The funds could be raised by increasing fees for vehicle registration and licensing, Reedy said. The increases should be progressive by considering factors like cost of the vehicle, weight of the vehicle and fuel consumption, he said.

www.desmoinesregister.com

A Solution to Lines at the Bureau of Motor Vehicles
Story date: 05/28/2008
By Victoria Wallack
The Bureau of Motor Vehicles is now allowing people to renew their driver's license using their old license, if it has a Maine address on it, to reduce delays that have occurred since a new law went into effect last month requiring applicants to prove they live in the state.

Those without an existing Maine license must still bring proof of residency with them to the bureau.

An act requiring a person to be a Maine resident in order to get a Maine driver's license passed with bipartisan support in April, but didn't get much attention because of the more controversial debate over the state's compliance with the federal REAL ID Act. Now the state is trying to make the law work.

"We're trying to work in a little common sense," into the process, said Secretary of State Matt Dunlap. "The intent of the law was to make sure that people getting a license for the first time were, in fact, Maine residents."

The biggest problem, he said, is people are showing up without the proper documentation and, "We have to send them away."

Dunlap estimated wait times at BMV windows have increased on average between 5 and 10 percent, although longer waits have occurred at the state's larger bureaus. The longest delay reported to him has been two hours.

The law was passed in response to federal agents cracking down on out-of-state immigrants, who were coming to Maine to get a driver's license because the state's rules were so lax. People only had to show they could pass a driver's test, but not prove they lived in Maine.

The fear was that illegal aliens were coming to Maine to get a license so they could then swap it for a license in their state of residence and use it there as a form of identification. Under state reciprocity laws, it is easier to get a license in this country if you can show you already have one.

In one instance, an immigrant living in Boston came to Maine to get a license and then used it as identification to buy a gun, which he later used in a bank robbery in Bangor.

The Legislature responded by passing a new law requiring a driver's license applicant to show proof of a Maine home address.

That new law is separate from the law passed at the end of the session that will require the state to check for legal immigration status to the US as part of the federal REAL ID program. All driver's license applicants could be asked to bring proof of their legal status, like a birth certificate or some other government-issued document. Dunlap has until Dec. 15 to get a legal immigration status check in place. The new law is being challenged by a people's veto signature drive organized by those who think it violates civil rights. If that campaign is successful, repeal of the law will appear on the November ballot.

Dunlap said the residency law that went into effect in mid-April created more delays than expected. The decision to allow people renewing their licenses to use their old one with an address, as proof of residency should help, he said.

Residents holding a license with their address on it can also now go back to using online renewal, which had been suspended after the law was passed.

Dunlap said his office is planning a public outreach campaign to make sure everybody knows about the new law. That law requires applicants to bring with them to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles a proof of residency.

Acceptable proof includes: Recent Maine driver's license with a physical address on it; tax return; paycheck stub; utility bill; document issued by a government entity; Maine vehicle registration; W-2; tax bill; conditional order of registration; Maine resident hunting or fishing license; and, a contract in the person's name such as a mortgage, lease or insurance policy.

Exemptions are allowed for persons who can prove they are on active duty in the US Armed Forces; the spouse or child of an active Armed Forces member; or, a student enrolled in a university, college or school within Maine.

Applicants need to show some documentation like a military ID; military service location papers; military dependent ID card; college ID; or a certified school record/transcript.

Those who have no documents proving they live in Maine, like people living in shelters, can get affidavits from the Bureau of Motor Vehicles that must be signed by two people who have a personal or professional relationship with the applicant, and know the person is living in Maine.

If the applicant is a minor, only one signature is needed if it is from a parent or guardian.

Dunlap is also working longer term on a problem that causes delays once every six years, dating back to the time when the state switched from four-year to six-year licenses. That blip added to the wait times several years ago.

Dunlap is experimenting with issuing licenses on a staggered basis, with some people getting licenses good for four, five, six, seven, or eight years for a pro-rated fee to help stagger the renewal load on the department.

(State House News Service)

http://www.mainelincolncountynews.com/i ... m?ID=32321