Maryland has met less than half of the requirements to move forward with Real ID, the federal driver’s license mandate, but high costs and the issue of requiring legal residency might stall progress this year, officials said.
“I think it’s unlikely we’ll do anything this year, and it’s going to be a tremendous burden on this state,” said Sen. Brian Frosh, D-Montgomery, chairman of the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee during a hearing Wednesday. The federal law puts tougher requirements on obtaining driving licenses, particularly being a legal resident in this country.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security this past year issued 18 benchmarks states must meet to get a second extension — this time to May 2011 — for Real ID implementation.
The Maryland Vehicle Administration has met eight of those requirements. Most were already in place and cost nothing to implement, but four remain unfulfilled because the state doesn’t check applicants’ legal status, said John Kuo, MVA administrator.
MVA has the technology to check legal status and would not have to spend any more money if legal status were added as a license requirement, Kuo said.
Between 35 percent to 50 percent of the out-of-country applicants are rejected because they don’t have sufficient proof they are Maryland residents or have the proper documentation, Kuo said.
The General Assembly must approve the legal status requirement.
Some lawmakers support Real ID as a way to thwart terrorism and deter illegal immigration, but others see the program as an invasion of privacy and believe it could lead to many undocumented people driving unlicensed.
“In those 47 states [that require drivers to have legal status], I bet there are a lot of people driving without licenses,” said Sen. Jennie Forehand, D-Montgomery.
The state can reject the Real ID requirements, but Maryland license-holders would not be able to enter federal buildings or use them to fly on airplanes.
A two-tier system, where those without legal status could obtain a driver’s license but not be federally compliant, is an alternative, but it would put an administrative and fiscal burden on MVA, Kuo said.
Real ID will cost Maryland $30 million to implement, but the federal government has given the state only $1.1 million, with another $700,000 coming this fiscal year.
As he has before, Del. Ron George, R-Anne Arundel, plans to put forward a bill requiring legal status for driving licenses, pointing to the large number of foreign applicants at the MVA.
