The Director of the California Department of Motor Vehicles, George Valverde, was dispatched to Washington, D.C., last week – presumably at the direction of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger – to express grave concerns that the State of California Government (read: the Governor) has with the implementation of the REAL ID Act passed by Congress and signed by the President back in 2005. This law established federal standards for drivers’ licenses. If you want a license, you have to show demonstrate something that should be pretty simple: proof of legal residency (SS# or birth certificate).
It would appear that the main objections that states all around America have is the tremendous costs associated with implementing the ACT (the National Governors Assocation pegs it upwards of $11 billion collectively for the 50 states to come up to snuff).
The law gives states from 2008 – 2013 to check out drivers for their proper documents and re-issue new licences for the roughly 250 million currently licenced drivers nationwide.
The penalty to states if they do not comply? Licenses in a non-compliant state cannot be used as identification at airports, federal buildings, or to obtain an federal benefits (medicare, welfare, veterans benefits, etcetera).
Of course, the first blush that a rather libertarian (small "L") fellow such takes on legislation like this is that it represents yet another mandate on the states, and represents an expansion of the federal government’s authority over the states, and the people.
That said, there is a gut level initial inclination to love this law because in our own State of California, the legislature doesn’t have the political will, on their own, to pass a bill to require these standards for proof of legal residency for a drivers license.
But then I think about it, and the federalist in me says, my legislature may be wrong on this issue, but we live in a country where each state should be left to make such decisions.
But then you step back, and look at things from the 30,000 foot level, and you quickly realize why the Real ID Act of 2005 passed on an overwhelmingly partisan vote, with Republicans putting it on the Republican President’s desk for his signature (remember, what "small L" libertarians there are in the Congress are Republicans) — and that is national security.
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