News Articles

SALEM, Ore. - In February, a new law required drivers license applicants to present a verifiable social security number.
In July, they were also required to show some proof of citizenship.

Since those ID rules went into effect, there has been a dramatic decline in the number of applicants who take the knowledge test in Spanish.

By Associated Press
July 17, 2008

PORTLAND, Maine — Real ID foes have failed to obtain enough signature to force a statewide vote this November on a state law that brings Maine closer to compliance with the federal law.

Applicants, even for renewals or replacements, need to prove they're in the U.S. legally

Sunday, June 29, 2008
Janie Har
The Oregonian Staff

Monday, Jul. 07, 2008
by CHRIS BLANK
Associated Press Writer

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. Gov. Matt Blunt signed legislation Monday that creates new restrictions on illegal immigrants and new requirements for businesses that employ them.

$11.2 million released for Real ID upgrades

By PATRICK MARLEY pmarley@journalsentinel.com

Posted: June 25, 2008

Madison - The Legislature's budget committee gave the state Department of Transportation about half of what it wanted Tuesday to implement a federal anti-terrorism law and barred the agency from reducing the number of driver's license stations it operates.

The Joint Finance Committee released $11.2 million to the DOT to prepare for the federal Real ID law — far short of the nearly $20 million the DOT sought.

For Immediate Release
Friday, May 30, 2008

Contact: Jim Van Dongen
603-271-2231

CONCORD, N.H. – New Hampshire Motor Vehicle offices have begun a roll-out of new driver licenses designed to reduce identity theft and improve the enforcement of laws that apply to people under the age of 21, such as the state drinking age. Licenses for anyone under 21 years of age issued from now on will have a vertical orientation rather than the horizontal orientation of other licenses, to make them readily identifiable...

.... The application procedures, fees and requirements for New Hampshire driver licenses remain the same. One change is applicants will be first issued a 60-day temporary license at any DMV licensing station. The permanent license will be mailed from DMV headquarters in Concord. This will provide an additional verification as to the actual residence of the licensee...

On 04/18/08, Maine Governor John Baldacci signed into law LD 2309. The law requires a driver license applicant to presents valid documentary evidence of legal presence in the United States, including, but not limited to, a birth certificate, certificate of naturalization, passport, visa or resident alien identification card.

U.S. Lacks Government Agency To Help ID Theft Victims

Craig Clough, Staff Writer

POSTED: 12:57 pm PDT April 2, 2008
UPDATED: 5:59 am PDT April 3, 2008

For the millions of Americans that become victims of identity theft each year, restoring their credit and canceling their credit cards and bank accounts can be a daunting and overwhelming task.

But unlike other Western countries, there is little help that the federal government offers them.

"We haven’t created a government office (for identity theft) like you have in European or other Western countries, like New Zealand or Canada," said Evan Hendricks, editor of Privacy Times, a newsletter based in Washington, D.C. "They have a privacy commissioner that can give you help. But we don’t have that in the U.S."

Published: Feb. 18, 2008 at 9:48 AM

By SHAUN WATERMAN
UPI Homeland and National Security Editor

WASHINGTON, Feb. 18 (UPI) -- All but six states have complied with federal requirements to seek an extension of the deadline they face for implementing more secure driver licenses for U.S. citizens or legal residents only under the REAL ID Act.

The list of state governments falling into line in the past couple of weeks includes former hold-outs like New Jersey and Washington, according to documents posted on the Web Friday by the Department of Homeland Security.

03/07/08
Government Computer News
By Wilson P. Dizard III

All but a handful of states have made preparations to comply with a May 1 deadline for compliance with the federal Real ID law that mandates secure driver's licenses be issued only to legal residents of the United States, according to specialists inside and outside the federal government.