Don't Weaken Driver's License Rules

Don't Weaken Driver's License Rules

Re: The editorial "New DPS license rules necessary for public safety, national security" (Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, March 25).

The Avalanche-Journal editorial board is exactly on target in questioning why some Texas lawmakers are attempting to weaken the identification requirements to get a Texas driver's license or ID card. A driver's license or ID card is used daily to validate identity for check cashing and credit card transactions, renting cars, buying alcoholic beverages and tobacco products.

Texas laws and federal laws mandate presentation of an ID for buying a gun from a gun shop or for buying explosives needed in construction. Society and commerce benefits when we have greater confidence that the face of the driver's license accurately verifies he/she is the same person, with the same name. It's not a racial or cultural issue. Latinos are more often victims of identity theft than other groups, according to a just-released national study by Javelin Strategy and Research.

Texas citizens are currently facing an increasing level of risk from the violence spilling over from Mexico. There are daily accounts of murders along both sides of the border as a result. The REAL ID regulations were aimed at defeating terrorists, but they can also stop drug cartel henchman from assuming false identities, particularly the identities of dead people.

State legislators should stand with Gov. Rick Perry and the Public Safety Commission's recommendations to improve the verification of identity of driver's license applicants. The end result will improve public safety for Texas citizens.