IPFS
Arizona pullout of REAL ID act held up in House
Written by Powell Gammill Subject: Arizona's Top NewsTo: "Kenneth Rineer"
Sent: Sunday, April 15, 2007 8:45 AM
Subject: Emergency Action Alert
Dear rkba enthusiast:
I have informed you about SB 1152, the REAL ID Act Prohibition, has already
passed the Senate and it passed the House Homeland Security and Property
Rights Committee. The bill passed 10-0-0-0!
Representative Robson has NOT put SB 1152 on the Rules Committee agenda,
essentially killing the bill. This after it passed the Senate 23-5-2-0 and
the HSPR committee 10-0-0-0!
We must let Rep Robson know he MUST schedule SB 1152 to be heard and voted
out of the Rules committee so it may go to the full floor for a vote and
sent to the governor for signature. His contact information is below. A
phone call to his office with a follow-up email and/or letter/fax is
preferable.
We must add Arizona to the list of States that have withdrawn from the REAL
ID Act! So far, Maine, Idaho, Arkansas and Washington have rejected the
REAL ID act provisions.
As on gun owner, if you do not think the REAL ID will have an impact on
you,
let me suggest the following:
Since you need a driver's license to purchase a gun from a dealer, this
will
give BATFE the expanded ability to impose even greater forms of gun control
-- something which it has long coveted. This will become even more apparent
if an anti-gunner wins the presidency in 2008. And believe me, most every
candidate for the 2008 presidency is anti-gun!
Do you look forward to the day when the federal government might deny you a
driver's license? Or, the day when your use of a license in a gun shop
creates an instant Homeland Security database entry on you?
Do you look forward to being profiled as a "gun nut" and a security risk
because of your purchases? Do you look forward to the day when the federal
government not only knows every gun owner but also has the means to track
our activities in real time as we work, shop, and bank and perform the
growing number of activities tied together by one big ID system?
Please, act Monday morning and make a phone call to Rep. Robson's office
and
leave a message asking him to put SB 1152 on the Rules committee agenda!
Additionally, please forward this email to your list of Arizona contacts.
We need to flood Rep. Robson's office with phone calls Monday morning.
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Ken Rineer
BACKGROUND
SB 1152 provides for the following:
1. Prohibits Arizona from participation in the implementation of the Act.
2. Prohibits the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) from
implementation of the Act.
3. Requires ADOT to report any attempt by agencies or agents of the United
States Department of Homeland Security to implement the Act to the Governor
and the Legislature.
4. Becomes effective on the general effective date.
HISTORY OF THE NATIONAL ID CARD
History of National Identification Cards
National ID cards have long been advocated as a means to enhance national
security, unmask potential terrorists, and guard against illegal
immigrants.
They are in use in many countries around the world including most European
countries, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. Currently, the
United States and the United Kingdom have continued to debate the merits of
adopting national ID cards. The types of card, their functions, and privacy
safeguards vary widely.
Americans have rejected the idea of a national ID card. When the Social
Security Number (SSN) was created in 1936, it was meant to be used only as
an account number associated with the administration of the Social Security
system. Though use of the SSN has expanded considerably, it is not a
universal identifier and efforts to make it one have been consistently
rejected. In 1971, the Social Security Administration task force on the SSN
rejected the extension of the Social Security Number to the status of an ID
card. In 1973, the Health, Education and Welfare Secretary's Advisory
Committee on Automated Personal Data Systems concluded that a national
identifier was not desirable. In 1976, the Federal Advisory Committee on
False Identification rejected the idea of an identifier.
In 1977, the Carter Administration reiterated that the SSN was not to
become
an identifier, and in 1981 the Reagan Administration stated that it was
"explicitly opposed" to the creation of a national ID card. The Clinton
administration advocated a "Health Security Card" in 1993 and assured the
public that the card, issued to every American, would have "full protection
for privacy and confidentiality." Still, the idea was rejected and the
health security card was never created. In 1999 Congress repealed a
controversial provision in the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant
Responsibility Act of 1996 which gave authorization to include Social
Security Numbers on driver's licenses.
In response to the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001, there has been renewed
interest in the creation of national ID cards. Soon after the attacks,
Larry
Ellison, head of California-based software company Oracle Corporation,
called for the development of a national identification system and offered
to donate the technology to make this possible. He proposed ID cards with
embedded digitized thumbprints and photographs of all legal residents in
the
U.S. There was much public debate about the issue, and Congressional
hearings were held. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich testified that he
"would not institute a national ID card because you do get into civil
liberties issues." When it created the Department of Homeland Security,
Congress made clear in the enabling legislation that the agency could not
create a national ID system. In September 2004, then-DHS Secretary Tom
Ridge
reiterated, "[t]he legislation that created the Department of Homeland
Security was very specific on the question of a national ID card. They said
there will be no national ID card."
The new federal guidelines require states to include the following
information on state issued identification cards and drivers' licenses:
a) the person's full name.
b) the person's date of birth.
c) the person's gender.
d) the person's driver's license or identification number.
e) a digital photograph of the person.
(Note: Some religious groups have actually had to sell their businesses
and
homes and move to another state because they believe their picture should
not be taken and placed on a government issued document based on the
"graven
image" doctrine.)
f) the person's address of principle residence.
(This means NO Post Office box numbers on your driver's license! This has
significant implications for domestic violence victims and the homeless.)
g) the person's signature.
h) physical security features designed to prevent tampering, counterfeiting
or duplication of the document for fraudulent purposes.
(This will include biometric identifiers such as, fingerprint(s), retina
scans, etc.)
i) a common machine-readable technology.
(For now, this will be a magnetic strip or enhanced bar code; however,
eventually, SMART card technology will more-than-likely be employed using a
64kb chip or an RFID. A lot of information can be stored on a 64kb chip!)
In addition to identification card requirements, states must require and
verify the following documentation before issuing a drivers' license or
identification card:
a) a photo identity document or a document that includes both the person's
full legal name and date of birth.
b) documentation showing the person's date of birth.
c) proof of the person's social security number or documentation proving
that the person is ineligible to receive a social security number.
d) documentation showing the person's name and address.
e) evidence of lawful status.
States are further required to:
a) verify the authenticity of an applicant for a drivers' license or
identification card's identity source documents.
b) employ technology to capture digital images of identity source
documents.
c) retain paper copies of identity source documents for seven years or
images of those documents for ten years.
(The requirements to maintain paper copies or digital images of these
important identity documents for seven to 10 years, combined with the
requirement to "provide electronic access to all other States to
information
contained in the motor vehicle database of the State" will make this data a
tempting target for identity thieves. The 50 state (plus the District of
Columbia) databases would become on large database. And one presumes that
each DMV would have access to these databases at the very least to confirm
that the applicant does not have a REAL ID license or ID card in another
state. If a criminal could break the security of any one of the tens of
thousands of entrance points, then the criminal would have access to the
personal data, including Social Security numbers, of every single person in
the United State with a REAL ID license or ID card. This would put hundreds
of millions of people at risk for identity theft.)
d) subject each person applying for a drivers' license or identification
card to mandatory facial image capture.
(Note: Some religious groups have actually had to sell their businesses
and
homes and move to another state because they believe their picture should
not be taken and placed on a government issued document based on the
"graven
image" doctrine.)
e) resolve discrepancies involving apparent social security number
conflicts.
f) refuse issuance of a drivers' license or identification card to a person
holding a drivers' license issued by another state.
g) ensure the physical safety of locations where drivers' licenses are
produced.
h) subject persons involved with the production of drivers' licenses and
identification cards to appropriate security clearance requirements.
i) establish fraudulent document recognition training programs for
employees
engaged in the issuance of drivers' licenses and identification cards.
j) limit the period of validity for drivers 'licenses and identification
cards to a period that does not exceed eight years.
(So every 8 years, you will have to pay for a new drivers license. As
these
card turn "SMART," they will cost a minimum of $50.00, probably more.)
This act also requires states to provide all other states electronic access
to t heir motor vehicle database.
How to contact Representative Bob Robson:
Arizona House of Representatives
Representative Bob Robson
District 20
Chairman, House Rules Committee
Address:
Rep. Bob Robson
1700 W. Washington
Room 218
Phoenix, AZ 85007
Phone Number: (602) 926-5549
Fax Number: (602) 417-3120
Toll Free Phone Number: 1-800-352-8404
Email: brobson@azleg.gov
1 Comments in Response to Arizona pullout of REAL ID act held up in House
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Dear Mike,
Thank you for taking the time to write me with your feelings. This bill will be on the Rules agenda for tomorrow, 4/17.
Sincerely,
Bob Robson
Representative Bob Robson
Speaker Pro Tempore
Rules Committee Chairman
Legislative District 20