Feds are cracking down on photo ID for travel and access to Federal buildings. Travel suppression via a backdoor tax.
Via AZ Central
Arizona lawmakers told the federal government in 2008 that the state would not cooperate in the Real ID Act, a post-9/11 law meant to make it harder for terrorists to obtain fake IDs.
The first fallout from the decision could begin to be felt in Arizona on Monday.
Residents of states that have not complied with the Real ID Act — Arizona is one of 11 such states — will not be able to use their driver’s licenses to get into restricted areas of federal facilities and nuclear power plants.
In January, the list of areas requiring a second form of identification, like a passport, will expand to include all federal facilities that require identification. Ultimately, the restriction could apply to people trying to board a plane, although that will not come until at least 2016, and only after a Department of Homeland Security evaluation.
It might be time for the state to revisit the Real ID issue before then, said Rep. Debbie McCune Davis, D-Glendale.
“It becomes a real problem when we start talking about travel and air travel, because you’re going to need to have a valid ID,” she said. “That’s going to put a burden on the average citizen to have a passport in addition to a state-issued ID in order to meet these requirements.”
None of that was on the minds of lawmakers in 2008 when they approved House Bill 2677, which then-Gov. Janet Napolitano signed and which prohibits the state from becoming Real ID-compliant.