Real ID Act to Gain Another Foe

As expected, New Hampshire will soon join a dozen other states that refuse to comply with a federal law requiring security features to driver's licenses, Reuters reported last week.

New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch says he plans to sign the New Hampshire law that the state Senate passed last week banning implementation of the Real ID Act of 2005, which will require states to invest billions of dollars into upgrading information systems to add security features to driver's licenses such as bar codes and digital photographs. The federal government will eventually require that Americans use the new licenses to gain entry to federal buildings, nuclear power plants and commercial airlines.

In March, the New Hampshire House Transportation Committee, in passing the one-page bill opposing the Real ID Act, called the federal law "repugnant." New Hampshire estimated it would cost the state $10 million to comply with the Real ID Act, of which the federal government would have paid $3 million, according to a ComputerWorld report.

The strong opposition has Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., chairman of the Judiciary Committee, considering introducing legislation to repeal the provisions of the Real ID Act pertaining to driver's license requirements.