By mid-January, Louisiana residents could need a passport to fly within the United States. There are a lot of unknowns regarding Louisiana’s non-compliance with the federal REAL ID Act of 2005, but some of them could be cleared up later this week.
Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles Commissioner Stephen Campbell says the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has promised him that the Transportation Security Administration will announce its decision this week on whether or not state-issued driver’s licenses will continue to be valid identification cards for flying domestically and entering federal buildings.
Campbell spent all of last week in Washington, D.C., attending a conference and seeking answers pertaining to what could happen if Louisiana doesn’t get an extension to comply with the REAL ID Act, which is poised to take effect Jan. 14.
“We’re still hopeful that there will be an extension or some other compromise,” says Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport spokesman Jim Caldwell.
Louisiana will meet most standards of the REAL ID Act that the 9/11 Commission implemented, Campbell says. At issue is the addition of a gold star to Louisiana driver’s licenses to indicate the state is in compliance with federal law and that its residents have a nationally recognized identification number. Louisiana House Bill 715 makes it unlawful to fully implement the ID Act.
“We were worried about identity theft, the privacy issues,” says state Rep. Brett Geymann, R-Lake Charles, who sponsored the bill.
Since Louisiana and other states that not in compliance with the federal law have already been issued three extensions in the past, Geymann says he would be highly surprised if Homeland Security did not issue another extension.
“The airline industry would go bankrupt in one day” if an extension is not granted, says Geymann, noting the state could be fully compliant by the end of 2013.
