Folmer Proposes to Exempt
PA From REAL ID
Submitted via press release
Posted November 15, 2007
Senator Mike “Citizen Mike”
Folmer (R-Lebanon) today announced he is introducing legislation which
would exempt Pennsylvania from a federal mandate requiring the establishment
of a national identification card.
“In the post-9-11 era, there
is the sense by some that we should strip away privacy rights, if that’s
perceived as what’s necessary to stave off terrorism,” Folmer said. “A
national ID system will redefine privacy as we know it, create a mountain
of new bureaucracy and increase fees and taxes – without making us any
safer.”
Folmer noted that ID documents
don’t reveal anything about evil intent. “Even with a reliable list of
terrorists, the authorities will miss anyone who is not previously known
to be a threat, he added. “The terrorists are patient. They’ll do whatever
it takes to legally maneuver around whatever roadblocks we put up.”
Four states – South Carolina,
New Hampshire, Maine, and Montana – have already enacted statutes precluding
their compliance with the federal REAL ID Act, passed by Congress in 2005
in response to recommendations from the 9-11 Commission.
Specifically, the federal
REAL ID Act mandates that states turn driver’s licenses into a national
identity card. Under enforcement of REAL ID, state driver’s licenses will
not be accepted for federal purposes – including boarding an aircraft or
entering a federal facility – unless they meet numerous criteria, including:
-
They must reveal standard information
such as full legal name, gender, address, date of birth, photograph and
signature.
-
They must contain a “machine
readable zone” that allows for the easy capture of all the data on the
ID by stores or anyone else with a reader.
Additionally, REAL ID
requires that:
-
Each state establish the ability
to provide all the other states with access to the information contained
in its motor vehicle database - creating, in effect, a single nationally
distributed database operated by the states.
-
States retain a digital scan
of source identity documents – including birth certificates and Social
Security cards – for at least 10 years (or a paper copy for seven years).
The federal requirements under
REAL ID would be completely unfunded mandates that would impose a significant
financial burden on Pennsylvania. The National Governor’s Association,
the National Conference of State Legislatures, and the American Association
of Motor Vehicles predict that REAL ID will cost states $11 billion. The
State of Virginia estimates its compliance costs to be in the neighborhood
of $240 million.
REAL ID further threatens
privacy rights by opening the door to the empowerment of the Department
of Homeland Security to collect biometric data – including fingerprints
and eye scans – as well as placing Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)
chips in every American’s driver’s license.
REAL ID offers no controls
on what confidential data can be collected from driver’s licenses, where
and how long it can be stored, and who is authorized to obtain, share,
trade or sell that information.
Folmer’s legislation is supported
by a number of groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
and National Veterans Committee on Constitutional Affairs, which are concerned
with the privacy repercussions of the federal government having the power
to track our whereabouts every second of the day.
Folmer said instead of REAL
ID, Americans need to be vigilant, and exercise their right to self-protection.
He added that America must get serious about cracking down on illegal immigration.
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