For decades there have been schemes hatched in Washington D.C. to mandate that the states create a national ID card. In the 90’s there was to be a national ID card required for participation in the proposed national healthcare program. Then in the homeland security hype of the last decade, such a card took the form of Real ID and was being mandated upon the states by the federal government.
There are actually several national ID programs, but the Real ID card is the one that is getting the most attention. As there has been so much resistance to the mandated Real ID card, that program will likely morph into another attempt at creating a national ID card called Pass ID.
Idaho was one of the states that lead the resistance to Real ID. Idaho was the second state (Maine was the first) to put into our state statutes a prohibition against complying with the Real ID mandate.
I was the legislator who authored the legislation and carried it through the legislative process to stop Real ID in Idaho. My work on Real ID began in 2007 with House Joint Memorial 3, a memorial that we sent to Congress voicing Idaho’s objection to the Real ID mandate.
But a memorial has no teeth. So in 2008, we went the next step with House Bill 606, the bill that prohibits Idaho from complying with Real ID. Idaho is now one of 15 states with a statue on the books blocking the implementation of Real ID. Additionally, ten other states have passed a resolution objecting to Real ID.
As I believe this battle for our privacy and liberty is ongoing. In 2010 I proposed House Bill 541, a bill to prevent our driver’s licenses from being used as a tracking device and minimizing the amount of personal information that can be encoded onto the driver’s license. House Bill 541 was passed by the House of Representatives, but got over to the Senate too late in the session to get a hearing. I intend to bring that bill back in 2011.
Please use the links to the above referenced bills to review our efforts to stop the attempt to create a national ID card. And please let me know if this is an issue of concern to you.