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REAL ID deadline nears and lawmakers fret over low number of Minnesotans who have one

Image courtesy Department of Public Safety
Image courtesy Department of Public Safety

The Oct. 1 deadline to get Minnesotans signed up for new federal-compliant REAL ID driver’s licenses and state IDs is nearing, and state lawmakers and public safety officials are getting nervous about the low level of state residents who have made the switch.

Just 640,000 Minnesotans have obtained REAL ID-compliant or enhanced IDs as of last week, according to the Department of Public Safety — just more than 13% of the state. And that could leave lots of travelers unable to board domestic flights or enter federal facilities come October.

HF3964, sponsored by Rep. Frank Hornstein (DFL-Mpls), aims to speed the transition and help make it easier for state residents to get their REAL ID.

REAL ID Act implementation discussed 3/5/20

Approved, as amended, Thursday by the House Transportation Finance and Policy Division, the bill now goes to the House Ways and Means Committee. Sen. Scott Newman (R-Hutchinson) sponsors a companion, SF3901, which awaits action by the Senate Finance Committee.

The legislation, which has bipartisan support, would eliminate mandatory background checks for driver licensing staff if they don’t handle applicant records for REAL ID-compliant or enhanced licenses and state ID cards.

That, Hornstein said, could help reduce the current eight-week backlog in processing applications. 

In an effort to make the process less complicated, the bill would also amend the types of documents that could be accepted in showing proof of Minnesota residency when applying for a REAL ID. Those changes would include:

  • removing a condition that didn’t accept utility bills if two unrelated people are listed;
  • lengthening the accepted date range for documents like utility bills, bank statements, pay stubs and insurance policies, to a year instead of 90 days;
  • accepting an insurance card;
  • allowing property tax statements and notices from the prior year;
  • removing the date limitation on vehicle title and property title or deed documents; and
  • no longer accepting canceled checks or life insurance policies.

“Making this process easier and more available to the public is something we need to do,” said Rep. Paul Torkelson (R-Hanska).


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