FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Media@dcaclu.org
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union today welcomed the
introduction of a bipartisan measure authored by Senators Daniel Akaka (D-HI)
and John Sununu (R-NH) that would add critical privacy and civil liberties
safeguards to the Real ID Act. Their proposal, the "Identification Security
Enhancement Act of 2007" would fix several shortcomings of the controversial
Real ID Act adopted by Congress.
"There’s growing consensus among state governments that Real ID is a real bad
idea," said Caroline Fredrickson, Director of the ACLU Washington Legislative
Office. "The Akaka-Sununu bill fixes many of the fundamental problems with Real
ID. By mandating safeguards for privacy and civil liberties, Congress can take
steps to end the real ID nightmare."
The Real ID Act was adopted as part of a must pass military appropriations
bill. Real ID federalizes the design, issuance and management of state driver’s
licenses, creating a uniform identity card and database tantamount to the first
national ID card. Residents of states that fail or refuse to comply with Real ID
will be unable to use their driver’s licenses for any activity that requires
federally accepted identification, such as boarding airplanes or entering
federal buildings.
The Akaka-Sununu bill would eliminate most of the requirements that laid the
foundation for a National ID card, such as the obligation that all data and
systems be standardized. The proposal also changes the approach to drivers’
licenses by calling for more flexible standards instead of the current uniform
mandates. Significant privacy protections in the proposal include prohibiting
the use of license data by third parties, encryption of the data and adherence
to state privacy laws that may provide greater protection. In addition to
Senators Akaka and Sununu, Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Jon Tester (D-MT) are
original co-sponsors of the bill.
In addition to the Akaka-Sununu bill, Congressman Tom Allen (D-ME) has also
introduced similar legislation in the House. His bill, H.R.1117, the "Real ID
Repeal and Identification Security Enhancement Act of 2007," addresses many of
the same problems with the Real ID Act.
In January, the state of Maine passed a resolution rejecting participation in
the Real ID scheme. Similar legislation has been adopted by one state
legislative chamber in Georgia, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Utah, Vermont and
Wyoming. Bills rejecting Real ID have also been introduced in Arizona, Hawaii,
Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Oklahoma,
Washington and West Virginia, with more expected soon.
"The Real ID Act is an $11 billion unfunded mandate that violates our
fundamental Constitutional freedoms while doing nothing to make us safer," said
Timothy Sparapani, ACLU Legislative Counsel. "Congress needs to pass the
Identification Security Enhancement Act of 2007."
For more on the ACLU’s concerns with the Real ID Act, go
to: www.realnightmare.org
