AP
Monday, February 5, 2007

WASHINGTON -- A revolt against a national driver's license, begun in Maine last month, is quickly spreading to other states, including Georgia.

The Maine Legislature on Jan. 26 overwhelmingly passed a resolution objecting to the Real I.D. Act of 2005. The federal law sets a national standard for driver's licenses and requires states to link their record-keeping systems to national databases.

Within a week of Maine's action, lawmakers in Georgia, Wyoming, Montana, New Mexico, Vermont and Washington state also balked at Real I.D. They are expected soon to pass laws or adopt resolutions declining to participate in the federal identification network.

Matt Sundeen, a transportation analyst for the National Conference of State Legislatures, says that many state legislators are concerned about privacy issues and the cost of implementing the law.

The law's supporters say it is needed to prevent terrorists and illegal immigrants from getting fake identification cards.

States will have to comply by May 2008. If they do not, driver's licenses that fall short of Real ID's standards cannot be used to board an airplane or enter a federal building or open some bank accounts.

About a dozen states have active legislation against Real I.D., including Arizona, Georgia, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Utah and Wyoming.