Whatever happened to the national ID?

[rurallib]

Seems to me a year ago we were going to have to comply with a national driver's license/ID law by this year. There was no money in the pot to comply, but that made no difference to Bushco.
Is the national ID dead or still coming?

[SharonAnn]

1. More than 24 hours later, still no reply. I don't know what happened to the nation ID, either.

[rurallib]

3. May I ask - still no reply on what? I feel like I walked into a conversation.

[Blue Gardener]

2. I haven't heard anything about it in ages

Let's hope it is not on Obama's agenda.

[4dsc]

4. You mean the REAL ID don't you??

Some claim the REAL ID is nothing more than a national ID and that would be a true statement.. It would appear its still in the works though..

Following the deadline of May 11, 2008, state driver's licenses and identification cards were not to be accepted for federal purposes unless the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) determined that a state was compliant with the REAL ID or a state had been approved for an extension by the Secretary of DHS. All 56 U.S. jurisdictions have received an initial extension from the Secretary of the DHS. The initial extension is valid until December 31, 2009.

DHS estimates the costs for states to implement the REAL ID will not exceed $3.9 billion.

To date, Congress has appropriated only $90 million to assist states with implementation of the REAL ID. The President's FY 2009 budget proposal included $50 million for federal verification system development and connectivity support, while the $50 million state-focused REAL ID grant program created in FY 2008 is zeroed out in favor of a new $110 million National Security and Terrorism Prevention Grant program.

http://www.ncsl.org/RealID/

[rurallib]

6. Thanks - good site

So it has been extended until the end of the year.
Any idea if anything has been done in Iowa? Was any money ever appropriated for real-id here? My last recollection was that the legislature was essentially doing nothing on this.
Not that I want to see real ID - I just don't want to try to cross the Mississippi and get turned back

[Rambis]

5. $$$ and $$$$

costly to set up and a nightmare to enforce- yet another ID to forge- Our economic situation is curbing the flow of people coming to the states via the Mexico border since we are in the tank.