2012 regulations affect fliers, entry to federal buildings and border crossings
May 11th, 2012 will mark four years since DHS' original deadline challenge to States to comply with Real ID regulations.
Looking back to May 2008, many doubled up on identity theft prevention services, aluminum wallets, RFID shields and banking encryption to fend off the digital privacy drawbacks of carrying a national ID card. Sometime later, the Real ID Act was banned in over 25 States legislatures who cited potential loss of privacy and expensive costs as reasons to Opt-out of the program. The law became virtually unenforceable as a national identity system, but are citizens and residents really free and clear of the negative impacts stemming from Real ID?
While the Obama Administration pledged there would be no enforcement of Real ID regulations, there has been an increase in identity requirements nationwide and some appropriations to States this year for the program. These actions seem to be consistent with a Homeland Security hearing discussion; which no longer defers the national deadline for individual compliance. It is now set for January 15th, 2013.
Here are 5 signs you may be dealing with Real ID in 2012.
"New Ohio driver’s licenses and identification cards debuting in January 2013 likely will cost more, require additional documentation and take longer to get.
Federal and state officials have no current cost estimates to implement the programs in Ohio or nationally, but a 2008 Department of Homeland Security document detailed an 11-year national rollout cost at $9.9 billion under mandates that since have been relaxed.
Foes of the controversial Real ID Act of 2005 say the federally mandated measure has serious security questions and will never be fully implemented because 15 states have passed bipartisan legislation to bar its enactment and 10 more have passed resolutions denouncing it."
Forums and discussions of the Texas Department of Public Safety's incremental plan for information nexus accounts will take place Tuesday and Thursday during the Texas Homeland Security Conference in San Antonio.
NO TEXAS APPROPRIATION NOTES FOR REAL ID COMPLIANCE THREAT OF FEDERAL BAILOUT FINANCE LOOMS
BTC FISCAL REPORT - The Texas appropriations notes to move forward database regulation fulfillments are non-existent according to sources at the Texas capitol. However, concerns voiced about resources available from the federal bailout increase the demand for government accountability. Amid the AIG debacle reports have unearthed that bailout finance has serviced ailing banks outside of the U.S. We will keep you updated on any fiscal movement toward DHS finance.
WASHINGTON — A new, more aggressive effort by airport screeners aims to halt randomly selected passengers for a security check just before they step onto their departing plane, according to a government memo obtained by USA TODAY.
Scores of passengers have already been pulled aside for searches as they waited in line at airport gates for boarding calls. Each of the passengers had already passed through security checkpoints when a uniformed Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officer asked them to step out of line to check their IDs or search their carry-on bags.
Passengers can be selected at random or for suspicious behavior, according to a TSA memo dated last Thursday. The program primarily targets riskier flights, according to the memo, which doesn't specify how flights are singled out.
The TSA says it has done occasional checks of passengers at airport gates and that the new stepped-up effort has nothing to do with any particular threat. Rather, the effort is focused on the notion that mixing up tactics makes it harder for terrorists to monitor how security works, said TSA spokesman Greg Soule.
Canada’s Province of Quebec has unveiled its Enhanced Driver’s License. The license, which includes both a bar code and an embedded RFID chip, is approved for use as a passport alternative in crossing the U.S. land border.
The enhanced license will cost Quebecers $40 (Canadian) more than a standard license. Provincial officials believe it will be useful for residents who live near the U.S. border and cross it frequently, eliminating the need to carry a passport on a daily basis.
