Homeland Security:National ID Card Enrollment Complete 2014
Just when you thought it was safe to get into the water...
Quote:
...The new ID cards will be needed for boarding a plane or entering a federal building...
Voice of America News
voanews.com
http://www.voanews.com/english/2008-01-11-voa56.cfm
Quote:
US Announces Revised Plan for National ID Cards
By VOA News
11 January 2008
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has released a revised plan for phasing in a national identification card program that was set to begin this year.
Passed by the U.S. Congress in 2005, the Real ID Act establishes national standards for drivers' licenses and government-issued personal identification cards to make it harder for terrorists, illegal immigrants and others to obtain or counterfeit.
At a news conference Friday in Washington, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said the phased-in program gives states greater flexibility in implementing it and extends the period of enrollment for citizens over the age of 50.
He estimates it will cost states about $8 to make a Real ID license.
The original program was rejected by 17 states partly because it was expensive. But the cost of the new plan has been reduced by more than 70 percent - from $14.6 billion to $3.9 billion.
The Department of Homeland Security says enrollment will be completed for all individuals under the age of 50 by December 2014, and for those more than 50, enrollment may be extended to December 2017.
But critics argue the ID program could put at risk the privacy of citizens, saying it creates a database of personal information that could be hacked into or otherwise compromised.
