April 5, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
CONTACT:
media@aclu.org OLYMPIA, WA - The
American Civil Liberties Union of Washington today announced that the state
legislature passed a bill in a landslide to block implementation of the federal
REAL ID Act. The action makes Washington the fourth state to pass legislation
opposing the law, joining Maine, Idaho and Arkansas.
"The
overwhelming margin of today's vote shows how truly bipartisan the opposition is
to REAL ID. It would threaten personal privacy, as well as create a bureaucratic
nightmare to implement," said ACLU of Washington Legislative Director Jennifer
Shaw.
The measure will prohibit state implementation of the REAL
ID Act, unless the federal government fully funds it and provides stronger
protections for the privacy of Washington drivers. Previously passed by the
Senate, the measure was approved by the House by a 95-2 vote. Senator Mary
Margaret Haugen (D-Camano Island) is the bill's prime sponsor, and Senators Dan
Swecker (R-Rochester) and Ed Murray (D-Seattle) are
cosponsors.
Passed by Congress in 2005, the REAL ID Act requires
states to produce standardized driver's licenses and to store the drivers'
information in nationally connected databases - creating a de facto national ID
card. By placing personally identifiable information in databases accessible
across the country, REAL ID makes the information more vulnerable to identity
theft and misuse.
The law requires states to start issuing these
licenses by December 31, 2009, but it did not set aside funds to make that
possible. In Washington, the net costs of implementing this new system would be
approximately $50 million per year for the first five years, according to a
survey by the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators.
REAL ID has drawn opposition from organizations across the
political spectrum, including the American Bar Association, the American
Conservative Union, the Council of State Governments, Gun Owners of America, the
National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, the National Conference of State
Legislatures and the National Governors Association.
More
information about REAL ID is available online at
www.realnightmare.org
