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RELEASE: Minnesota House sends REAL ID bill to Governor

Wednesday, May 17, 2017

SAINT PAUL, MN – The Minnesota House passed the conference committee report on House File 3, the bill to make Minnesota REAL ID compliant, on a bipartisan vote 120-11. By passing the REAL ID law, chief authored by Rep. Dennis Smith, R-Maple Grove, Minnesotans will have the option to obtain a federally compliant identification card or driver’s license that will be valid for commercial air travel and access to federal facilities including military bases.

“Getting REAL ID passed this session was my top priority and I am proud we were able to come to an agreement that will work for the legislature, Governor Dayton, and, most importantly, everyday Minnesotans,” said Rep. Dennis Smith, R-Maple Grove, the bill’s chief author. “Making REAL ID a simple opt-in program for those who wish to use their driver’s license to board airplanes and enter federal facilities including military bases, while retaining an option to obtain an ID under the current system for those who chose to do so, makes this bill a compromise that works for everyone.”

REAL ID is a federal law passed in 2005 with the goal to make it more difficult for potential terrorists to obtain fake identification cards by setting standards that states must meet for their driver’s licenses. Some federal facilities, including military bases, have already began to require those without compliant licenses to provide passports or other documentation in order to be admitted.

Smith continued, “Whether it’s visiting a child at a military base or taking their family on vacation, Minnesotans deserve the peace-of-mind that with their normal driver’s licenses they are fully capable of going about their lives and work.”

The Senate will take will take the bill up later today and Governor Dayton is expected to sign it.

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