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Long-Awaited ID Mandate Is Released
The Homeland Security Department this week proposed long-overdue guidelines to fulfill a federal mandate for standard driver's licenses and identification cards.
The proposed rules, now in the 60-day comment phase, are required under the so-called REAL ID Act. The rules would give states a five-year phase-in period to comply with minimum standards for their ID systems. States seeking extensions need to apply by Feb. 1, 2008.
Under REAL ID, compliant cards will be required to enter federal buildings, board commercial airplanes and access certain types of federal services, such as Social Security. The department also announced that up to 20 percent of state homeland security grants would be made available during the fiscal 2007 cycle to help cover the costs of REAL ID compliance.
The agreement to let states seek extensions prompted senators who wanted a delay written into law to withdraw their proposal. They had planned to offer the language as an amendment to a broader security bill now before the Senate.
Other topics in this week's podcast include oversight of the transition to digital television, the push to reform the universal service fund for telecommunications and the approval of competitiveness bills.
Posted by Technology Daily on March 2, 2007 10:52 AM | Permalink
