Real ID Act comes with a big bill

It will cost Utah at least $2.5 million a year to implement federally mandated changes to its drivers' licenses and state identification cards, said Nannette Rolfe, director of the Utah Driver License Division.

Rolfe said the estimated $2.5 million start up and $2.5 million annual cost will likely "increase significantly" when the specific rules for compliance are released.

Overall, the federal Real ID Act is expected to cost states $11 billion over five years, according to an analysis released Thursday by the National Governors Association, the National Conference of State Legislatures and the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators.

The act creates national standards for issuing state identification cards and drivers' licenses, including reissuing cards to all 245 million holders within five years, and establishing on-site verification of proof of identity documents.

Rolfe said the specific compliance rules are anticipated by the end of the year, leaving Utah just two legislative sessions to comply with the federal law by the May 2008 deadline.

"It's very concerning," Rolfe said. "We're getting short on legislative sessions to get funding, or things we need to comply. We're going to need the support of the Legislature."

She said an estimated 1.6 million people currently hold a valid Utah driver's license, and roughly 250,000 people hold state IDs.

Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, voted for the Real ID Act in 2005, along with Utah's other federal lawmakers, saying he hoped it would address an "uneven patchwork of identification laws," which terrorists could use to their advantage. However, Hatch had acknowledged his reluctance to approve it as part of a supplemental budget bill.

"I remain open to the possibility of changing the law if, in the future, it proves to be detrimental or ineffective," Hatch had said at the time.

The report released Thursday anticipated three to four identity documents per applicant and more than 80 million transactions each year, with a result of processing times potentially more than doubling in most states.

The national report asked for federal help in implementing Real ID, including extending the compliance deadline, providing funding to states and providing the federal electronic verification system in order to comply.

"There's no question that state legislators believe the drivers' licenses should be as secure as is possible," William Pound, executive director of the NCSL, said in a statement. "The $11 billion question is 'Who's going to pay for it?"'

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E-mail: dbulkeley@desnews.com