ST. PAUL – Members of the Minnesota House of Representatives approved legislation that would allow Minnesota to prepare for the implementation of REAL ID. State Representative Mark Uglem (R-Champlin) voted in favor of the measure.
"This is an essential first step in implementing REAL ID, and I’m glad both sides of the aisle could come together and pass this preliminary bill," Uglem said.
In January, the Department of Homeland Security told Minnesota it had until 2018 to develop REAL ID-compliant licenses in order for residents to board an airplane. Currently Minnesota's licenses do not comply with the federal REAL ID Act.
Minnesota had previously approved a law barring Minnesota's Department of Public Safety from even discussing REAL ID compliance with Homeland Security. The measure approved by the House recently would eliminate that ban and allow the process to begin.
"This bill enables us to get information from the Department of Public Safety to assess the logistics of implementing REAL ID," Uglem said. "Though Minnesotans can still use their current licenses to fly until 2018, we want to make sure everyone can get their new REAL ID without inconvenience. Passing this legislation means we can start discussing what the new IDs will actually entail, and hopefully start issuing REAL IDs by this fall."
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