Dear Neighbor,
Increased federal standards regarding ID requirements for boarding domestic flights will not go into effect until at least 2018, good news for both travelers and citizens who value data privacy.
The U.S. Department of Homeland security established the REAL ID program in response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The first three phases of implementation already have taken place and raised the standard for accessing places such as federal facilities and nuclear power plants. The fourth and final step has gained the most attention because it increases the ID requirements for boarding commercial aircraft for domestic flights.
Minnesota's standard driver's licenses and IDs do not meet the new REAL ID standards. In fact, a state law prohibits Minnesota from complying. That law was put into place several years ago due to concerns over data privacy. For instance, could our information be stored in a database and someday be used for purposes we do not approve of? Would new IDs make us more susceptible to identity theft? Many of those same concerns exist today and questions need to be answered before taking steps toward compliance.
Gov. Mark Dayton has suggested a special session could take place in the next handful of weeks to address this issue and a couple of others. Thankfully, talk of calling a special session for REAL ID appears to have lost steam since the Department of Homeland Security 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.
It is good we received an updated time line from Homeland Security, because we need to make the right decisions on this subject. Instead of rushing through a one-day session of meetings and passing new law, this delayed enforcement will allow more time to conduct due process before a final plan is put in place. Citizens will have a better chance to follow developments and participate in this discussion.
The key is to use this extra time to our advantage by staying on task as we work on a solution. A legislative working group has been formed and already has begun meeting to give us a bit of a head start when the 2016 session starts March 8.
Here is a link to a quick graphic from the Minnesota Senate showing how things stand as of today for the various states.
I will keep you posted as things develop. Until then, your input always is appreciated.
Good luck,
Jeff