Utah may defy feds on REAL ID

The state of Utah would thumb its nose at federal requirements of the 2005 REAL ID Act under provisions of a bill that passed the House on Thursday.

The mandate of the U.S. Congress, crafted by the Department of Homeland Security, calls for states to come into an initial level of compliance, including specialized photography to aid facial recognition software and the establishment of an accessible database, by 2010, with further requisites to follow.

Under provisions of HB64, sponsored by Rep. Stephen Sandstrom, R-Orem, the Utah Driver's License Division would be prohibited from implementing the requirements of REAL ID — a move Sandstrom said many states have already made.

"Utah … would be joining 21 states that have done the same thing," Sandstrom said. "This really is the framework for all kinds of government intrusion in our life."

Rep. Bradley Daw, R-Orem, testifying in support of the bill told the body that complying with REAL ID was not a simple, or inexpensive, task.

"It is not a minor change to the driver's license," Daw said. "The quote is anywhere from $20-80 million … we should be able to manage our driver's licenses the way we see fit."

The House has already passed a resolution, HR4, also sponsored by Sandstrom, calling for the federal government to repeal REAL ID, and House Minority Leader, Rep. David Litvack, D-West Valley, said that taking the idea from suggestion to state law was likely a bad idea.

"It seems a little premature to opt out in statute without fully understanding the consequences and implications of doing this," Litvack said. "There is the possibility that our citizens will be restricted from acts that require a form of identification recognized by REAL ID …the most common example is flying."

Sandstrom said he doubted the feds would stick with their original promises on the issue-that failure to comply would limit holders of noncompliant identification access to anything under the control of a federal agency, like commercial air travel and entrance to some government facilities-since so many states have already made the decision to not follow the mandates. He also argued that subsequent requirements that may include a call for integrating radio frequency transmitters within identification cards, went too far.

HB64 passed on a 68-6 vote and will move to the Senate for further consideration.

E-mail: araymond@desnews.com