Maine lawmakers revolt against Real ID Act
State is first in the nation to pass a resolution demanding the act be repealed, but eight others are considering it too; legislators upset over $185 million cost and doubt the program’s utility; privacy advocates call it a national nightmare
Uh oh. The on-going controversy over the Real ID Act, an unfunded mandate that requires states to issue standardized driver’s licences starting by May 2008, heated up this week when Maine lawmakers passed a resolution urging the federal government to repeal it. Unsurprisingly, the two major issues are cost and privacy. (Indeed, such are the sticking points in almost all homeland security schemes, excpt when quality and feasibility also come into play.) Although the Maine statehouse is the first in the nation to pass such a resolution, eight others are considering it, and animosity towards Real ID is nearly universal, the lack of legislative action in some states notwithstanding. “It’s a national ID card on steroids,” said Barry Steinhardt of the ACLU. “This will indeed be a real nightmare.”
For state planners, the cost is the most frightening. Maine lawmakers are furious that they will have to shell out $185 million for a program of uncertain utility. “We cannot be spending millions of state dollars on an initiative that does more harm to our state than good,” said Maine’s House majority leader Hannah Pingree. Without any federal assistance, the measure may force states to either borrow the money or cut back on other important initiatives — some of which may also be related to homeland security. All states face similar challenges. As we reported in September, a study by the National Governors Association, the National Conference of State Legislatures and the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators found that the law would cost states more than $11 billion over five years and take at least another seven years to implement.
-read more in Jason Szep’s Reuters report
