Arizona, DHS in enhanced driver's licnese development project

Arizona is now the third state to volunteer for a DHS program calling for the development of a hybrid identification card which combines a state driver’s license with a U.S. border-crossing card. DHS announced that the department and the state will partner in development of the enhanced driver’s license which is expected to meet the department’s Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) requirements as well as align with future driver’s license requirements of the Real ID Act. The 2005 Real ID Act was passed by Congress to set national standards for driver’s licenses, with which all states must comply by May 2008. Preliminary regulations were released by DHS in February 2006 and the final requirements are expected within several weeks or months. The identification program has been controversial because of its $11 billion price tag as well as concerns about privacy and security of the personal information. Under the western hemisphere initiative, U.S. citizens returning to the United States by land will need to show either a passport or a DHS-approved border-crossing card, among extensive requirements to take effect at an unspecified date in summer 2008. As an interim step, starting in January 2008, a passport, specific border documents, or a driver’s license with a birth certificate will be required.

The states of Washington and Vermont have announced similar agreements with DHS. In Washington, officials intend to deploy a card with an embedded Generation 2 RFID chip that can be read at distances of thirty feet. For Vermont, the card technology and design has not yet been determined, a DHS spokeswoman said.

The Arizona project will result in an identification card which will be “slightly more expensive” than a driver’s license and will require proof of citizenship, identity and residence, DHS said.