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Napolitano Presses for PASS ID Act |
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by Mickey McCarter
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Tuesday, 21 July 2009 |
REAL ID alternative would save time, money, secretary argues
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano continued to drum up support for an alternative to the REAL ID Act (Public Law 109-013) Monday, calling upon Congress to approve the PASS ID Act to give states greater flexibility and to reduce their costs in implementing secure driver's licensing programs.
"Pass ID provides a strong yet flexible framework for states to implement secure identification," Napolitano said in a statement. "I am proud to join our nation's governors in supporting Pass ID-a cost-effective, common-sense solution that balances critical security requirements with the input and practical needs of state governments."
Napolitano appeared Sunday with Republican and Democrats at a meeting of the National Governors Association (NGA), which helped draft the PASS ID Act. Republicans Haley Barbour of Mississippi and Jim Douglas of Vermont and Democrats Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Jack Markell of Delaware, Martin O'Malley of Maryland, Mark Parkinson of Kansas and Bill Ritter of Colorado--all of whom voiced support for the PASS ID Act.
PASS ID Act would loosen authentication requirements for documents required to apply for a driver's license, thereby speeding up the ability of states to issue secure driver's licenses and saving them money at the same time, Napolitano argued. She projected that PASS ID would enable states to comply with secure standards for driver's licenses a year ahead of the REAL ID deadline of 2017.
Opponents of PASS ID argue that eliminating electronic verification requirements in REAL ID would return states to a level of security that existed before 9/11. Many of the 9/11 hijackers obtained state driver's licenses fraudulently, enabling them to move throughout society. The 9/11 Commission recommended that states establish secure driver's licenses and to electronically authenticate documents, such as birth certificates, used to apply for one.
NGA has estimated the cost of complying with REAL ID to be about $4 billion over the next five years, but the Coalition for a Secure Driver's License refutes that number, projecting the cost to be roughly $1.5 billion.
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Mickey McCarter |
| About the author: |
| eNewsletter Editor/Senior Washington Correspondent,
is a journalist with more than a decade of experience in reporting
on
military affairs and information technology.
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