The Department of Homeland Security set a final rule for the REAL ID regulation, which would establish minimum security standards for state-issued drivers’ licenses and identification cards.
The rule — which came about in part following 9/11, in which hijackers had legitimate drivers’ licenses — sets “uniform standards that enhance the integrity and reliability” licenses and ID cards, DHS said in a statement Friday.
The rules could complicate air travel and set up a showdown between the federal government and state governments, who are opposing the measures, the Associated Press reported.
So far, 17 states have passed legislation or resolutions objecting to the program’s provisions, many due to concerns it will cost them too much to comply, AP said.
Congress has appropriated less than 3% of the projected costs to assist states, the National Conference of State Legislatures said in a statement released Saturday.
DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff said that if states want their drivers’ licenses to remain valid for air travel after May, those states must seek a waiver indicating they want more time to comply with the legislation, AP reported.
Citizens born after Dec. 1, 1964, would have six years to get a new license, while older Americans would have until 2017, AP said.
