By The Herald Editorial Board
Among the deadlines that the Legislature is staring down in the session that begins Jan. 9 is a mandate to make state driver’s licenses conform to the federal Real ID Act that Congress passed more than a decade ago.
The act, passed in 2005, requires that government-issued identification, such as driver’s licenses, meet higher security standards, including that applicants show proof of identity and legal U.S. status, as well as include measures to make it harder to make counterfeit identification.
But Washington, along with Minnesota and Missouri, haven’t fully complied with the mandate and now face a deadline. Unless lawmakers enact a law to comply, or get another waiver, Washington residents won’t be able to board domestic flights at airports after Jan. 22, 2018, without providing additional identification, such as a passport.
Licenses that don’t comply with the Real ID standard also aren’t sufficient to gain access to some military installations.
The reluctance to comply, even among some Eastern Washington lawmakers, is because the U.S. residency requirement could make it impossible for undocumented immigrants to obtain valid driver’s licenses. While our nation works out just how to address border security and immigration reforms we, as a state, still have to provide for the basic safety of all lives here, and that means providing a legal means for driving motor vehicles.
Unless undocumented immigrants are allowed as licensed drivers, the state can’t ensure that those drivers have shown a level of proficiency and an understanding of the rules that apply to drivers. Those drivers also would be unable to obtain insurance.
Currently, the state Department of Licensing requires that driver’s license applicants without a Social Security number or proof of legal status show that they live in Washington state, such as an auto insurance policy, utility bill or rental contract. The state verifies the information and uses facial recognition technology to prevent fraud.
State Sen. Curtis King, R-Yakima, who serves as chairman of the Senate’s Transportation Committee, may reintroduce legislation first proposed in March that would allow for licenses that meet the standards of the Real ID Act. But King’s legislation, Senate Bill 6678, would also provide a second tier of identification that would provide licenses to those without proof of citizenship or legal status — or those who would rather not provide such proof — that would be marked as “Not for Federal Purposes.”
King’s bill also provides for a commercial driver’s license under similar circumstances.
At a Transportation Committee work session last week in Olympia, Andres Mantilla, chairman of the state’s Commission on Hispanic Affairs, said such marked licenses would amount to a “scarlet letter” for some and leave those who carry them open to discrimination and harassment, the Associated Press reported.
We understand the concern, but the card itself would not necessarily brand the holder as undocumented. A fair number of people, specifically those who will be suspicious of what they see as a national identification card, might opt for the non-Real ID Act card, even if it presents additional hassles while flying.
Complying with the Real ID Act isn’t going to be painless for anyone. The new licenses will require all obtaining or renewing licenses to produce proof of identity, a Social Security number or other proof of legal status, two documents that show an address or residence and a document with the date of birth. And it’s likely to be more costly than the current $54 fee charged.
But in the interests of safety and fairness — and to comply with a federal mandate that isn’t going away — a system that provides two tiers of driver’s licenses deserves serious consideration by next year’s Legislature.
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