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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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