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Dayton
Daily News...
New driver’s
licenses will take more time, proof
New state IDs in 2013 are part of controversial 2005 Real ID Act.
By Mark Gokavi
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
New Ohio driver’s licenses and identification cards debuting in January
2013 likely will cost more, require additional documentation and take
longer to get.
Federal and state officials have no current cost estimates to implement
the programs in Ohio or nationally, but a 2008 Department of Homeland
Security document detailed an 11-year national rollout cost at $9.9
billion under mandates that since have been relaxed.
Foes of the controversial Real ID Act of 2005 say the federally
mandated measure has serious security questions and will never be fully
implemented because 15 states have passed bipartisan legislation to bar
its enactment and 10 more have passed resolutions denouncing it.
Ohio was not one of those states, but former Ohio Rep. Diana Fessler,
R-New Carlisle, did present a resolution in 2008 calling for the
federal government to repeal Real ID.
The Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles said the new “Safe ID” cards are
designed to be compliant with the controversial federal act that grew
out of the 9/11 Commission recommendations. That legislation was woven
into an emergency supplemental appropriations act for defense,
anti-terrorism and tsunami relief signed by former President George W.
Bush.
“DHS remains committed to improving the security of state-issued
driver’s licenses and identification cards,” Department of Homeland
Security spokeswoman Nicole Stickel said. “By improving the security of
state-issued driver’s licenses and identification cards, we bolster
nationwide capabilities to prevent terrorism, reduce fraud, and improve
the reliability and accuracy of personal identification documents.”
BMV officials have no estimates on how much more the new IDs will cost
to produce or how much more they will cost to purchase. BMV
spokesperson Lindsey Bohrer said the Ohio government plans to “comply
with all provisions of the Real ID Act.”
“Real ID is kind of dying a slow death because states are saying we are
not going to comply with it; we don’t want to comply with it,” said
Ohio American Civil Liberties Union spokesman Mike Brickner. “It begs
the question as to why Ohio is going ahead with it.
“It was going to cost not only the state itself more money to
implement, but it’s also going to cost individual drivers more money
when you’re going to get your ID.
“That’s not a very popular thing when we’re dealing with really deep
budget problems on the state level.”
Bohrer said it is important for Ohio to comply…
“The new credential will protect citizens from ID fraud, allow citizens
on and off domestic flights, allow citizens in and out of federal
buildings,” she said. “Ohioans should be proud, when this process is
complete, we believe it will be one of the most secure credentials in
the country.
Read the rest of this article, plus others, at Dayton Daily News
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