Sunday, December 17, 2017

Missouri Drivers Licenses Now Good at Airports Until October 2018

On November 28th, the Kansas City Star reported that the Department of Homeland Security had granted Missouri an extension until October 10th, 2018 to come into compliance with the Read ID Act. Had that waiver not been granted, people seeking to board commercial airplanes or enter certain federal buildings or military bases starting in January 2018 would have had to provide a passport or some other form of federally approved ID.

In 2017, during the Missouri legislative session, Missouri lawmakers agreed on a compromise. Those who wish to get a Real ID compliant license can do so, while those with concerns about the act can get one that doesn’t comply with the regulations. Governor Eric Greitens signed the compromise measure into law.

In the meantime, the Department of Revenue will implement rules such as requiring retaining of source documentation to prevent fraud.

In 2005, Congress passed the Real ID Act. “Secure driver's licenses and identification documents are a vital component of a holistic national security strategy. Law enforcement must be able to rely on government-issued identification documents and know that the bearer of such a document is who he or she claims to be. REAL ID is a coordinated effort by the states and the Federal Government to improve the reliability and accuracy of state-issued identification documents, which should inhibit terrorists’ ability to evade detection by using fraudulent identification,” says the Department of Homeland Security on their website. However, Missouri held out against complying with the law until this year, citing privacy concerns.

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