Senate panel passes Real ID Act measure

The federal Real ID Act of 2005 creates minimum standards for state-issued driver’s licenses following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, in which the perpetrators used fake documents.

A Senate panel on Thursday passed a measure to bring the state into compliance with the federal Real ID Act.

Senate Bill 1362, by Sen. David Holt, R-Oklahoma City, passed the Senate Public Safety Committee by a vote of 6-1 and heads to the Senate Appropriations Committee for consideration.

The federal Real ID Act of 2005 creates minimum standards for state-issued driver’s licenses following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, in which the perpetrators used fake documents.

In 2007, Oklahoma lawmakers passed a law saying the state would not comply with the measure, largely due to privacy concerns.

Failure to comply would mean residents would have to use an alternative form of identification to board commercial jets, such as a passport, said Sen. Corey Brooks, R-Washington, who presented the measure for Holt, who was on an economic development trip with the Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce.

Obtaining a passport is much more intrusive than obtaining a driver’s license and also costs more, Brooks said, adding that the information would be controlled by the federal government rather than the state.

“It behooves us to comply,” Brooks said.

Senate Bill 1362 would allow those who want a Real ID compliant license to obtain one, he said. People who do not, such as those with privacy concerns, can obtain a noncompliant driver’s license, Brooks said.

Brooks said because the state chose not to comply with the federal legislation, it missed out on several grant opportunities that would have helped pay for implementation.

State officials have had numerous meetings on the issue.

“I think everybody is pretty close if not in agreement on moving this forward,” said Senate Pro Tem Brian Bingman, R-Sapulpa. “I have not had a chance to read Senator Holt’s bill. I think it takes care of most of the concerns.”

Bingman said he hopes that concerns about privacy have been resolved.

Contacted after the meeting, Holt called the measure a “work in progress.”

“What we are pursuing is a solution to the Real ID issue so that a grandma can fly to go see her grandkids,” Holt said. “If we fail provide that option for our Oklahoma citizens, I think we will be guilty of gross incompetence.”