Feds Try To Tighten Driver's License Rules

(AP)  Americans born after Dec. 1, 1964, will have to get more secure driver's licenses in the next six years under ambitious post-9/11 security rules to be unveiled Friday by federal officials.

The Homeland Security Department has spent years crafting the final regulations for the REAL ID Act, a law designed to make it harder for terrorists, illegal immigrants and con artists to get government-issued identification. The effort once envisioned to take effect in 2008 has been pushed back in the hopes of winning over skeptical state officials.

Even with more time, more federal help, and technical advances, REAL ID still faces stiff opposition from civil liberties groups.

To address some of those concerns, the government now plans to phase in a secure ID initiative that Congress passed into law in 2005. Now, DHS plans a key deadline in 2011, and then further measures to be enacted three years later, according to congressional staffers who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because an announcement had not yet been made. DHS officials briefed legislative aides on the details late Thursday.

The Sept. 11 attacks were the main motivation for the changes.

The hijacker-pilot who flew into the Pentagon, Hani Hanjour, had a total of four driver's licenses and ID cards from three states. The DHS, which was created in response to the attacks, has created a slogan for REAL ID: "One driver, one license."

By 2014, anyone seeking to board an airplane or enter a federal building would have to present a REAL ID-compliant driver's license, with the notable exception of those more than 50 years old, Homeland Security officials said.

The over-50 exemption was created to give states more time to get everyone new licenses, and officials say the risk of someone in that age group being a terrorist, illegal immigrant or con artist is much less.

[the_quietman]

gunownerdan
Re: "Welcome to Nazi America."
I guess you have never travelled through the check points in southern California. I thought they were toll boths and was digging for change.

[the_quietman]

bb19631
Because we are just to tired.

[bb19631]

Anyone over the age of 50 yrs. old is not a threat, where does the government come up with this ***?

[gunownerdan]

I have an idea, why don''t we simply tattoo our social security numbers onto our arms?
That way there is no card to lose.
Better yet, let''s get a microchip implanted under our skin at birth.

[gunownerdan]

Welcome to Nazi America.
Have your "papers" ready at all times!

[hwy71so]

Again, I agree with you tucker. The illegals need to go. We have very usable procedures for entering this country. Entering LEGALLY so no one with mess with them and they can do what they came here to do. BUT, there are just so many who choose to laugh at our standards, disrepect our laws and then break them. Meanwhile there is a large number of LEGAL immigrants that have to pay for the violators in their immigration process. The INS expends manpower chasing illegals when they could be supporting legals.

[gunownerdan]

tuckerndfw,
Trying to arrest and deport all "illegals" will do nothing good for America.
Like it or not there are just too many of them and they are important for our economy.

[gunownerdan]

If you do not accept your new "RealID" national ID card, will you be thrown into one of the new concentration camps Halliburton built around America?
Who knows.

[gunownerdan]

If you are a white person, why shouldn''t the Native Americans call YOU an "illegal" or even a "terrorist"?

[gunownerdan]

tuckerndfw,
Get rid of all illegals? That''s impossible and it would require a fascist military police-state.
Calling for the arrest and deportation of all 15 million "illegals" is liek what the Nazis tried to do in Germany but instead of hating "jews" you hate "illegals".