JBS Action Alert: Oppose twin bills S.717 and H.R.1117 - An Unwise Compromise on Real ID

JBS Staff, JBS News Feed

Senate bill S.717, short titled the “Identification Security Enhancement Act of 2007,“ [bill text] was introduced on 2/28/07 by Senator Daniel Akaka (D-HI) [cosponsors]. Virtually identical House bill H.R.1117, short titled the “REAL ID Repeal and Identification Security Enhancement Act of 2007″ [bill text] was introduced on 2/16/2007 by Rep. Thomas Allen (D-ME) [cosponsors]. The bill(s) purportedly would alleviate concerns about The REAL ID Act of 2005 relative to the act’s huge unfunded federal mandate on financially stressed state governments and its serious threat to privacy and civil liberties. It appears to be a compromise intended to bring into agreement the Bush administration and those state governments which have objected to or complained about the implementation of the REAL ID Act.

S.717 (and H.R.1117) would repeal title II of Real ID and reinstate section 7212 of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 which would still set federal standards for driver’s licenses or ID cards, but include the participation of state officials and relevant groups in rulemaking negotiations. $300,000,000 of federal grant money would also be authorized for each of the fiscal years 2007 through 2013, amounting to a partial federal bailout of an outrageous act that is faltering. Federal subsidies like this always come at taxpayer expense and expands federal control over recipients. The bill(s) might provide a false hope that would circumvent the effective nullification of REAL ID through a bill such as H.R.220.

Considering the dangers inherent in title II of the Real ID Act of 2005, it should be repealed or nullified without further ado and replaced with nothing – no compromise. The bill(s) allow too much wiggle room or uncertainty concerning the ultimate scope and administration of the program. Federal programs are notorious for growing. If a national ID card becomes established, its uses would likely increase beyond what is currently proposed. The bill is being given attention. Senate subcommittee hearings for S.717 were held on 4/29/08.

Related testimony from hearings by the Senate subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce, and the District of Columbia:

• Sen. Daniel Akaka’s opening statement at the subcommittee hearings, 4/29/08
• Donna Stone on behalf of The National Conference of State Legislatures, 4/29/08 pdf
• Sophia Cope, Center for Democracy & Technology, on “The Impact of Implementation: A Review of the REAL ID Act and the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative,” 4/29/08 pdf (a chilling update reiterating why a national ID system is a Pandora’s Box that should not be opened!) Excerpt:

Not only will REAL ID be ineffective at making driver’s license issuance more secure and the card a more reliable assertion of identity, REAL ID also creates new privacy and security risks while exacerbating existing ones.

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President, and Editor-in-Chief, Steve Farrell
Associate professor of political economy, George Wythe College
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Author, “Dark Rose“