Oh yes, please get rid of this foul law! Still, don't start practice driving just yet, they're thinking of replacing REAL ID with a less cumbersome and possibly voluntary enhanced driver's license. They would also allow states to devise their own policies instead of having to meet costly REAL ID mandatory standards. At least REAL ID will die a deserved death.
Last year, the Homeland Security Department extended a May 11 deadline for states to issue new, tamper-resistant licenses. States now have until Dec. 31 to issue new licenses that require applicants to present documentation in person showing they are in the country legally.
Napolitano said she will meet with governors to discuss the license program required under the Real ID law and "look at its cost compared to its value."
"There's a lot of thinking out there that an enhanced driver's license that wouldn't necessarily be the Real ID … might be a better way to go and achieve a lot of the same objectives for a lot less cost," Napolitano told reporters after meeting with Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Thad Allen at Coast Guard headquarters.
Washington state has been offering residents "enhanced" driver's licenses that can be used in place of a passport to enter the USA from Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and the Caribbean. The enhanced license, which is voluntary and slightly more expensive than a standard license, requires proof of citizenship and identity. It contains a radio identification tag that allows Customs officials to read the information on the license electronically.
