'Real ID' has states scrambling
By Elisa Crouch
Of the Post-Dispatch
05/11/2005
People impatient with long waits at drivers license bureaus had better brace themselves for even longer ones.
President George W. Bush signed legislation Wednesday aimed at denying drivers licenses to illegal immigrants and increasing homeland security. But some Missouri and Illinois officials predict it will create bigger headaches for motorists.
The Real ID Act, which takes effect in three years, will turn drivers licenses into national identification cards. To renew a license or get a new one, motorists will have to prove their identification and residency in four ways. Even then, state workers will have to contact the issuing agencies to make sure the documents are valid before handing the motorist a license.
The renewal process in Missouri and Illinois involves surrendering the old license, and sometimes showing a Social Security card if there's a name change. The new legislation means drivers will have to prove their name and date of birth, probably by showing a birth certificate. Applicants also will have to show proof of citizenship, a Social Security number and proof of residence, such as the street address on a utility bill.
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States will have to keep the information for 10 years and join a computer network that shares the information. Supporters of the bill estimate it will cost states and counties about $100 million over five years.
State workers can verify Social Security numbers on a computer network, but there is no national database for county birth records.
"The bill has kind of caught the local people by surprise," said Mark Von Nida, the Madison County clerk, who oversees birth records. "Everybody's scrambling to catch up with what's happening."
The Illinois secretary of state's office established a committee to research how the bill will affect it and the 136 drivers license offices it oversees statewide, said Dave Druker, a spokesman for Secretary of State Jesse White.
"We're undoubtedly going to have to expand to include the county clerks from around the state of Illinois," Druker said. "Some situations, there really aren't answers for right now. Where we see problems is that this is an unfunded mandate."
Some county officials in both states say they're waiting to take their state's lead.
The Missouri Department of Revenue oversees the 182 drivers license offices in the state. It is holding internal discussions on the requirements and how to fulfill them, said spokeswoman Maura Browning.
Among other things, states must work out staffing issues, how to verify birth records from foreign countries and how to verify addresses to prove residency.
Now that Bush has signed the bill, Browning said, state officials will speed up discussions on how to implement the measure.
The Real ID Act was folded into a $82 billion emergency spending bill to fund military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, provide relief to tsunami victims in Asia and beef up border security. Both houses of Congress have approved it.
Supporters say the Real ID provision will make the nation safer. Some of the hijackers on Sept. 11 used drivers licenses to board planes, even though their visas were expired.
"This legislation mandates important steps that will force all the states to step up the issuance of tamper-proof licenses," Sen. Christopher "Kit" Bond, R-Mo., said in a statement Wednesday. "It will make it more difficult for illegal immigrants to get IDs and most importantly, it will make it harder for terrorists to fake their identification and blend into society while they plan their crimes."
Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, said the license measures became part of a bill that had to be rushed through, which is why it won unanimous approval.
"I wanted to debate this," he said, but no hearings were held.
Durbin called the requirements "burdensome" for some people, especially legal immigrants from countries where birth certificates aren't issued, or from places such as Yugoslavia that no longer exist. He predicted that long lines will result and that states will have to cough up millions of dollars.
The legislation does not specify whether a motorist would need a certified copy of a birth certificate. Missouri counties charge $15 for a certified copy from anywhere in the state. They are only available for people born in 1920 or later.
The costs in Illinois vary from county to county. And residents can only get a copy from the county in which they were born.
"They'll have to establish some standards about how to do it," Durbin said. "If you live at home and have a utility bill in the name of your father, and you're the daughter, is that good enough?"
If states can't meet the federal requirements, it's possible that drivers licenses from those states won't be recognized by the federal government. For example, the licenses could not be used to board a commercial flight or enter a federally protected building.
Illinois issues between 2.1 million and 2.2 million drivers licenses each year, and has about 8.5 million in circulation, Druker said. Missouri has 4.2 million active licenses. Browning was uncertain how many the state issues each year.
What's required now in Illinois, Missouri
Illinois drivers licenses must be renewed every four years. To renew, motorists must surrender their old licenses. Social Security cards are required when there's a change in a name or an initial.
New Illinois drivers must provide a certified copy of a birth certificate, something listing an Illinois address, proof of signature and a Social Security card. Only the Social Security number is verified.
Missouri drivers are good for two to six years, depending on the driver's age. The old license is required for renewal, and sometimes a Social Security card if there's a discrepancy.
New Missouri drivers need to provide a Social Security card and out-of-state drivers license.
Reporter Elisa Crouch
E-mail:
[email protected]
Phone: 314-340-8119
*whew*
