Real IDIowa implements Real ID act, but other states hold firm in opposition
Last month Iowa joined other states in implementing the REAL ID Act, which Congress passed in 2005 in an effort to combat terrorism in the aftermath of 9/11. The intense debate over the act continues, though: twenty-five states have passed resolutions rejecting REAL ID, with fifteen of them going as far as to make it illegal to comply with the act.
Last month Iowa joined other states in implementing the REAL ID Act, which Congress passed in 2005 in an effort to combat terrorism in the aftermath of 9/11.
REAL ID licenses and state identifications look similar to what most people are currently carrying around, except they have a star in the upper-right hand corner which indicates to federal officials that their identity has been verified.
The deadline for states to comply with REAL ID has been delayed several times. Many states have opposed the act. ABC15 reports that these states were supported by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which noted that twenty-five states have passed resolutions rejecting REAL ID, with fifteen of them going as far as to make it illegal to comply with the act.
“The purpose of the REAL ID Act is to reduce the likelihood of presenting false identification documents to gain access to terrorist rich targets, like airlines, federal buildings, or nuclear power plants,” attorney Martin Sweet of legal information website Thelaw.tv told the ABC15.
Supporters of the act say the documents needed are largely the same that a citizen would need for a driver’s license.
In order to acquire a REAL ID license or state identification card, citizens must provide their birth certificate, social security number, proof of residence in the state, and lawful residence in the country.
According to the ACLU Web page on the REAL ID Act, the organization opposes the card as being, in effect, a “national identity card.” The ACLU also says that the card has drawbacks which include costing U.S. taxpayers billions of dollars to implement, creating longer lines at driver’s license bureaus, increasing identity theft, and allowing the government routinely to track people.
Some states say it could be hard for their citizens to provide the necessary documents in the aftermath of a natural disaster, while other states say something as simple as a typo on a necessary document can make it almost impossible to obtain the card.
Despite Iowa’s acceptance of the REAL ID program, the future of the act remains in doubt as critics and supporters fight back and forth on the issue. In the event the program is fully implemented across America, the earliest you would be required to have a REAL ID card is December 2014. By that time, it is possible that you will need a REAL ID card to board an airplane or enter a federal government building.
