OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — People in Washington state likely won't have to
worry next year about the identification they take to the airport after
Gov. Jay Inslee signed a measure Tuesday seeking to make the state one
of more than two dozen in compliance with federal identification
requirements.
Washington and several other states have struggled
for years to comply with the REAL ID Act, a 2005 federal law that
requires state driver's licenses and ID cards to have security
enhancements and to be issued to people who can prove they are legally
in the United States.
The law was passed after the Sept. 11
terrorist attacks to strengthen rules for identification needed at
airports and federal facilities.
Some liberal and conservative
states have objected to the new rules, with concerns ranging from
discrimination to worries that law-abiding U.S. citizens could be
tracked using the new system.
Others have opposed the U.S. government unilaterally setting standards in an area traditionally handled by states.
With
a January deadline looming, lawmakers across the country have been
scrambling for legislative fixes so residents can board flights and
travel without confusion.
"This will help to ease problems at
border crossings, airports, federal courthouses, and military bases
where REAL ID compliant documents are required," Inslee said before he
signed the bill, adding that the measure ensures the "convenience and
security of our citizens."
Just 25 states and the District of
Columbia are currently in compliance with the federal law, though most
of the remaining states and territories have been granted various
extensions.
Residents of states that are in compliance have until
Oct. 21, 2020, before being required to show the REAL ID compliant
identification.
Residents of states that are not in compliance
with REAL ID and do not have an extension need additional identification
for access to some military bases and federal facilities and, starting
next Jan. 22, to board commercial flights.
Washington state
already offers, but does not mandate, enhanced driver's licenses and IDs
that require proof of U.S. citizenship and are valid under the federal
law. The state also issues standard licenses that don't comply with the
federal rule.
Starting in July 2018, those standard licenses will
be marked to indicate they are not REAL ID compliant and thus not
acceptable for certain purposes by federal authorities.
Residents
will have a choice of which license they want. Those with the
non-compliant licenses will need additional documentation — such as a
passport, permanent resident card or military ID — to board domestic
commercial flights and for other federal purposes, most likely starting
in October 2020.
Maine, Minnesota, Missouri and Montana are the
only states currently listed as not compliant with the law and without
an extension from the federal government. However, Maine's governor last
month signed a REAL ID compliance bill passed by the Legislature, and
Montana and Missouri this year have both passed bills awaiting their
governors' signatures.
Several other states are considering bills
related to REAL ID compliance, including Alaska, Minnesota, Oregon and
Pennsylvania. Governors in Kentucky, Oklahoma and South Carolina also
have signed REAL ID compliance bills this year.
As Washington's
proposal worked its way through the Legislature, some opponents said it
didn't go far enough in requiring proof of legal presence for those
receiving licenses or IDs. Others argued that the marked licenses could
lead to discrimination.
Language added to the bill by the state
House sought to prohibit the marked licenses from being used to
determine or infer citizenship or immigration status or to spark an
investigation or arrest that otherwise would not have occurred.
The
American Civil Liberties Union of Washington had asked Inslee to veto
the measure. The group's Shankar Narayan said he and others still have
serious concerns.
"There's some visceral resistance of this idea
of a national ID card and whether the federal government will misuse
this information," he said. "This really cuts across party lines."
Now
that a bill has been signed in Washington state, officials will seek
review by the federal government, which will determine whether the state
should be granted an additional extension past the current one of June
6.
That would allow time for the state to implement changes and
to give people time to determine which license they want to get, said
Tony Sermonti, legislative director for the state Department of
Licensing.
Sermonti said federal officials have indicated the
Washington state bill would comply with the law. He believes the state
will likely be granted an additional extension and not be subject to
REAL ID enforcement until October 2020.
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