Amended Real ID implementation bill heads to House Floor

The House Republican who sponsors a bill to move the state into compliance with the federal Real ID law relented on Wednesday to calls for a two-track state ID system that offers both compliant and non-compliant licenses and identification cards.

Rep. Dennis Smith (R-Maple Grove) offered an amendment to HF3959, adopted by the House Ways and Means Committee, that would allow those who don’t want to comply with the more stringent federal Real ID standards to obtain a license allowing them to drive, but not meet the stepped-up national standards for entering federal facilities or boarding domestic commercial flights.

“I am listening to what additional people would like to have … and that is a two track system,” Smith said. “Once implemented you could get a federal Real ID-compliant license so you could fly, go into federal buildings, or you have the option of having the same license you have today,” Smith said.

Approved on a split voice-vote, HF3959 is now headed for the House Floor. A companion, SF3589, sponsored by Sen. Scott Dibble (DFL-Mpls) awaits a vote on the Senate Floor.

The Senate plan would offer Minnesotans the choice between a standard and Real-ID compliant license. It would also delay implementation of the Real ID changes until January 2018.

House Republicans had resisted the so-called two-track option, with Smith saying switching everyone over to Real ID-compliant IDs would be more consumer friendly and easier on state agencies tasked with making the switch.

Even with the newly amended language, challenges remain.

Dawn Olson, director of the Driver and Vehicle Services Division of the Public Safety Department, said the state would need to undertake substantial changes to a computer system that’s in the process of being phased out in order to rush toward compliance this year. That, and changes to contracts with vendors who produce the cards, would make up the bulk of an estimated cost of $5 million or more to comply with Real ID by Oct. 1.

Paul Meekin, who manages information technology for the Department of Public Safety, said the risks to the system with making the changes needed to implement Real ID now are “quite high.” There are few people who have the ability to work with the current system, he said, and the amount of work would require new hires.

“Hiring could take four to six months, and training could take the equal amount of time,” Meekin said.

Congress passed the Real-ID law in 2005 with the intention of making state-issued IDs more secure.

The bill still calls for the state to begin issuing Real ID licenses by Oct. 1 so Minnesotans can obtain them on their normal renewal cycles. Officials with the state’s driver and vehicle services division, though, have said that timeline is infeasible given the amount of legwork that would need to be undertaken by the fall in order to comply with that date.

“You’ve outlined some significant concerns, and I think we need to listen to the agency about the timeline,” said Rep. Frank Hornstein (DFL-Mpls).

Already, Minnesotans can’t gain entrance to secure federal facilities and military bases using only standard state-issued IDs. Gov. Mark Dayton has requested a new Department of Homeland Security extension to allow Minnesota IDs to be used to enter those facilities while the state works toward satisfying federal requirements.

House Public Information Assistant Director/Editor LeeAnn Schutz contributed to this story