By Rep. Tom Hackbarth
The 2016 session is underway in St. Paul. Issues related to taxes and transportation are likely to make headlines this year, but so is another topic that is on people's radar: REAL ID.
The federal government established the REAL ID program as a way to increase security following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Minnesota's current standard ID does not meet REAL ID standards being put in place by the feds and, in fact, a state statute was enacted several years ago barring compliance due to data privacy concerns.
This issue went relatively unnoticed as the first three phases were implemented, applying to access for places such as federal facilities and nuclear power plants. The fourth phase is the one that has gained the most attention because it pertains to boarding domestic commercial flights. People have wondered if their travel plans would be impacted.
The good news for travelers is the new federal ID requirements for boarding domestic flights will not go into effect in the near future. The Department of Homeland Security has announced that enforcement of new standards to fly in our country will take effect no sooner than Jan. 22, 2018. If states such as Minnesota have yet to fully comply, extensions can be granted until October of 2020.
That means there is time for the Legislature to formulate a plan. But, due to the prohibition, the House would need to first pass legislation repealing the statute barring compliance so a thorough public discussion can take place.
Many of the original concerns remain valid and need to be addressed. For instance, could our personal information be stored in a federal database and someday be used for purposes we did not approve of? Would new IDs make us more vulnerable identity theft?
The Legislature will continue working on this issue but, regardless of what action is or is not taken at the state level to bring our state IDs into compliance with new federal regulations, enhanced Minnesota IDs already available (for $15 more than a standard one) and meet REAL ID regulations. More information on those can be found by visiting www.dps.mn.gov and entering "enhanced ID facts" in the search field.
The most important thing is that we conduct due diligence on this issue so that a wide range of perspectives and opinions are taken into account.
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