Brother, can you spare a Passport?
March 25, 2008
Many may remember that little diddy from School House Rock “3 is the Magic Number” but in this case, 3 represents the holdouts for the federal REAL ID law. Currently, the Palmetto State stands with only Maine and New Hampshire as states to either not comply or not ask for an extension.
Last year, this bill came before my subcommittee and full committee before going to the full House. Each time we rejected the bill…for many reasons (actually, we passed a bill saying we would NOT comply). Whether it be cost to the taxpayer or a slew of other reasons, a vast majority of us felt this was yet another federally unfunded mandate.
Just this year, the House and Senate passed a Joint Resolution asking Governor Mark Sanford to request an extension. Now…here’s where I’d like your input:
Would requesting an extension signal we plan to comply with the law or not? That’s what we’re hearing from the Governor’s office and (I think) I can see that point.
Regardless, if we don’t request (or somehow receive an extension without asking?? like Montana did) travelers will soon face a different procedure when they fly the friendly skies.
If you haven’t been following this, here’s a quick summary to bring you up to speed:
REAL ID is a law and rule that establishes minimum standards for state-issued driver’s licenses and personal identification cards. REAL ID compliant drivers licenses and ID cards will allow you to board a federally-regulated airplane, access a federal facility or a nuclear power plant.
The REAL ID Act of 2005, was passed by Congress to make it more difficult to fraudulently acquire a drivers license or ID card, as part of the effort to fight terrorism and reduce fraud.
REAL ID compliant licenses and ID cards must meet minimum standards which include
*information and security features that must be incorporated into each card
*proof of identity and U.S. citizenship or legal status of an applicant
*verification of the source documents provided by an applicant
*security standards for the offices that issue licenses and identification cards
The 9/11 Commission endorsed the REAL ID requirements, noting that “For terrorists, travel documents are as important as weapons … All but one of the 9/11 hijackers acquired some form of identification document, some by fraud. Acquisition of these forms of identification would have assisted them in boarding commercial flights, renting cars, and other necessary activities.”
REAL ID Next Steps
REAL ID goes into effect May 11, 2008. Recognizing states need more time to implement REAL ID, the department has offered states an extension to allow time to meet the requirements. States granted extensions.
If your state has been granted a REAL ID extension, your current driver’s license is still a valid form of identification for boarding a federally-regulated airplane, accessing a federal facility or nuclear power plant.
If your state does not request a REAL ID extension by March 31, 2008, beginning May 11, 2008, you will not be able to use your state-issued driver’s license or identification card for an official purpose, such as accessing a federal facility, boarding a federally-regulated commercial aircraft, or entering a nuclear power plant.
You can still present another form of acceptable identification such as a U.S. passport, military ID, or government identification badge.
If you do not have another form of acceptable documentation, you may experience delays at the airport due to the requirement for additional security screening.
More information on REAL ID Background, Benefits, Implementation, Privacy and State Information.
This page was last reviewed/modified on March 12, 2008.
Comments
11 Responses to “Brother, can you spare a Passport?”
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I have found that having my passport for some reason or another makes it much easier in and out of airports. Maybe because people view it as a federal ID. Regardless, I think people should get a passport if they plan to fly anywhere. As to the extension, I can understand the governors point of view, but asking for an extension and complying are 2 different things. Asking for the extension at least allows the people of our state to travel unhindered while our leaders decide what to do. To me it’s a no brainer…ask for the extension
PUUHHHLEEZZZZZZ
If the State can pour money down the Hunley rat hole with ZERO accountability why not fund Real ID?
Pull a % of funds out of the SC Stupid Tax errrrrrrr I mean lottery money and move on to the real business of SCREWING us taxpayers over.
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Real ID is a huge power grab by the federal government and absolutely an unfunded mandate that will add little if NO security whatsoever.
1. If S.C. driver’s licenses don’t comply, what is the purpose of making us switch to passports BEFORE other state’s have to switch to ‘REAL ID’, when passports don’t even meet the real ID standard?
2. If passports do meet the real ID standard, then what is the purspose of spending billions, whether state or federal on this system? It is bascially a punitive power play by the feds.
3. Here’s the real rub, am I the only one who remebers that almost all of the 9/11 hijackers traveled under their actual identities? I don’t see the extra protection provided by such.
4. South Carolina Driver’s license currently don’t meet the REAL ID system by 2 steps (of the 17 I believe it is needed for REAL ID) one of which is having the picture taken as the first step instead of the last, as is done in creating an S.C. Driver’s license.
5. The biggest can of snake oil is the whole fact that the Federal Government has the authority to do this in the first place in regards to the fact that when you fly on a plane you are buying a ticket/service from a private company with funds you provided to that company. (Note: Sec. Chertoff said if you ‘want to use federal services you will need a federal ID that’s all’). My buying a plane ticket is not the purchase of a federal service and REAL ID compliant divers lic. are not federal ID’s. Furthermore, just because the FAA regulates the flight service industry I cannot see how that justifies such an actions - Unless we will also need a “federal ID” to listen to FCC regulated radio stations soon too.
REAL ID is a power grab that will allow for much better monitoring of law biding citizens, at the expense of the individual states, and further government regulation of private actions, but will add little to nothing in the way of security or threat prevention in the area of terrorism.
The legislature will probably spend/waste more time and money “debating” the issue than it would cost to comply. I agree, that we spend more on pork like the Hunley than we do on worthwhile projects or complying with Real ID. The tracking argument doesn’t hold water because if you’re on a plane, you’ve shown ID anyway.
Finally, my passport won’t fit in my wallet, should be in a safe place unless I need it to travel out of county, to get back in to home sweet home and I don’t have anything to hide.
I am in favor of anything that will move everyone in and out of airports easier.
Ask for the extension, it does not mean the extension asker must comply with the mandate. It gives the State time to decide if it wants to comply. If the Gov. does not request the extension, the first SC person that is strip searched while trying to get through security, will file a lovely lawsuit against the State, thus giving more time to come up with the money to comply or file suit against the USA.
Doing nothing is irresponsible and childish.
I agree that doing nothing is childish. It will punish SC residents needing to travel within the US and who do not have a passport. What happens when a SC resident suddenly needs to fly somewhere after May 11? Now do we need to spend the time and money for a passport to insure we can fly to see family or go on a business trip? You sure can’t get a passport at the drop of a hat either; I hear it takes a while.
Apply for the extension until this is worked out!
File the extension and then wait for the Feds to back down. They will not spend the extra effort to pull everyone from SC aside and perform a special security check. In many instances, I am ashamed that our state is the last to do something that the rest of the country has done. This time I think WE are right. This IS an unfunded mandate and is absolutely another power grab by the GWB administration. File the extension, stall, run a four corners offense, but do not comply with Real ID.
Nathan,
Anything that would make our country safer is not a bad idea. Travel these days is hard enough, just ask the people in the Atlanta airport yesterday, so a standard form of ID is not a bad thing. It has been used in other parts of the world for years. Additionally, think of the State funds that have been squandered debating the issue, and thereby proving to the rest of the US that we are a bunch of backwards, barefoot idiots, with dirt floors in our homes. The funds and time that have been wasted on such a stupid debate could have paid for a passport for everyone in the state anyway. Thank you.
Question.. what does “additional security screening” actually mean??? I have seen that several times but can not find any detail on that statement. Is it possible we are getting all worked up over a 2 minute delay at the airport?? Or are they just going to harass us so much that we want to get the Real ID???
Anyway to answer your question.. I think that asking for the extension does imply that we will implement the Real ID. I also think that they will use that later saying that we asked for the extension now we have to implement it.
I agree with several of the responses that we should work to comply with the federal guidelines. Passports are not for everyone and would create unnecessary time and money on the citizens of SC. Why is it that SC has to be so slow or stubborn to go along with most of the other states and the fed. gov.? We definitely ask for the extension and work to comply when possible.
At this point in the game the question of whether Real ID is right or wrong, good or bad, useful or not, is irrelevant. It is time to ask for the extension. Without it SC citizens will have to meet travel standards of foreign citizens (i.e.: hold a passport) or face unknown additional frustrations when traveling within the US. There are also problems and issues with conducting business with the US government that require ID. Our SCDL’s will not be accepted for those transactions either. I already hold a US passport, but that is not the easy answer. Mine will expire within the next 18 months and I will be without acceptable ID during the approximately 4 weeks that it takes to renew it. Get the extension and then fight it. I actually agree with all of positions of principle, but the choice to stand on principle, and do nothing, leaves us in an unacceptable position.