November 20, 2007
Back to Columns

REAL ID Is the Wrong Answer
By State Senator Mike Folmer

In response to recommendations of the 9-11 Commission, Congress passed – and President Bush signed into law – the REAL ID Act of 2005, which mandates that states convert citizens' driver's licenses into a national ID card.  I see three big problems with REAL ID: (1) diminished privacy rights; (2) increased costs; and (3) more government red tape.

Under REAL ID, people will be required to hand over Social Security cards and birth certificates to PENNDOT, which will keep digital copies of these highly personal documents on record for seven years.  In return, citizens will receive a national ID card with a "machine readable zone" that allows for easy capture of all the personal data on the ID card.

States are expected to establish an interlinked database making all information in a person's file available to both all other states and to the federal government.  However, there will be no controls as to the confidential data that could be collected from these ID cards, where and how long it can be stored, or who is authorized to obtain, share, trade or sell it.  This is a threat to our privacy rights.

The cost of implementing REAL ID will be enormous; Virginia estimates its cost to be $240 million.  What's worse, these requirements represent unfunded federal mandates with the costs being totally borne by the states.  This will surely cause higher fees and/or higher taxes.

Getting registrations and licenses from PENNDOT is often a challenge.  The additional new hurdles of REAL ID will only add to the red tape.  Expect longer lines, more headaches, and more frustration in the weeks and months ahead.

Are diminished privacy, higher taxes, and more red tape worth a perceived sense of enhanced protection from terrorism?  I say, "NO!"

A national ID card system will not make us any safer; ID documents don't reveal anything about intent.  Even with a reliable list of terrorists, authorities could miss anyone not previously known to be a threat.  And, terrorists are both patient and will do whatever it takes to maneuver around legal barriers and other roadblocks that are put in their way.  When they're ready, they will strike.

That's why I'm introducing legislation to keep Pennsylvania from having to comply with the federal REAL ID Act.  Representative Sam Rohrer has introduced a similar bill in the State House.  Four other states – New Hampshire, Maine, Montana, and South Carolina – have already exempted themselves from REAL ID.  Other states are expected to follow.

Proactively protecting America from the threat of terrorism requires us to be vigilant, always on the watch for suspicious activity, and ready to avail ourselves of the right to self-protection.   However, we should not sacrifice liberty and privacy for a false sense of security.