Diamond's Real ID bill picks up support in Augusta
Courtesy / Office of Sen. Bill Diamond
Sen. Bill Diamond, D-Windham, on the floor of the Maine Senate in Augusta. Diamond has sponsored a bill, LD 306, that is intended to put Maine in compliance with federal Real ID requirements.
Legislation by state Sen. Bill Diamond, D-Windham, that would bring Maine into compliance with federal REAL ID standards received support from AAA Northern New England, Associated Building Contractors of Maine, Maine Motor Transport Association and the New England Regional Council of Carpenters and others at a public hearing Tuesday.
The hearing on the bill, LD 306, “An Act to Require State Compliance with Federal Real ID Guidelines,” was held by the Legislature’s Transportation Committee.
Diamond’s bill would do two things:
- Repeal a 2007 state law that prohibits the state from participating in the federal Real ID Act of 2005 and prevents the Maine Secretary of State from changing procedures for applying for a driver's license or non-driver identification card in a manner to conform to the federal REAL ID Act of 2005.
- Direct the Secretary of State to issue driver's licenses and non-driver identification cards that conform to the federal REAL ID Act of 2005, including meeting its standards for new facial recognition and fingerprinting and requirements involving proof of identity and citizenship at the time of application.
“The reason for this bill is simple: Maine has flouted federal law for more than a decade and now, the chickens are coming home to roost,” Diamond said in a written statement. “Maine veterans are being kept from their doctors. Maine businesses and citizens are being barred from federal property and soon, Mainers will be unable to board planes. We must enact this law immediately to protect our constituents’ right to travel, and to avoid an impending bureaucratic nightmare for all Maine citizens.”
Diamond’s bill has earned the support of state Senate President Michael Thibodeau, R-Winterport; Speaker of the House Sara Gideon, D-Freeport; and leadership from both parties in the House and Senate, according to the Legislature’s Senate Democratic Office. Gov. Paul LePage and U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin, R-District 2, have also urged the state to take action to become compliant with Real ID.
The Transportation Committee will make its recommendation regarding LD 306 to the full Legislature in the coming weeks. The bill will then face votes in the House and Senate.
Pingree pursues federal remedy
At the federal level, U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-District 1, has co-sponsored a bill with two Republican lawmakers, U.S. Reps. Mark Sanford of South Carolina and Mark Meadows of North Carolina, to provide relief to residents of Maine and other non-compliant states.
Their bill, H.R. 755, "the Real ID Privacy Protection Act," would do four things :
Eliminate the requirement for source document archiving.
Eliminate the state department of motor vehicles database inter-accessibility requirement.
Grant a uniform extension for all non-compliant states to Oct. 10, 2017.
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