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Local organizations back Real ID law

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As the Real ID deadline looms, local organizations are throwing their support behind state compliance.

Springfield City Council added a legislative priority to its agenda at its meeting earlier this week in support of the proposed state legislation requiring the state of Missouri to comply with provisions of the federal Real ID Act of 2005. The Springfield Chamber of Commerce also has made it a legislative priority and the Springfield-Branson National Airport supports the moves.

“This is something really important to the airport,” Director of Aviation Brian Weiler said during the Feb. 21 council meeting, noting the law’s economic impact should it slow business travel.

It’s been a decade since Congress passed the Real ID Act to thwart terrorist attacks after 9/11, but Missouri hasn’t implemented the law. In fact, in 2009, Gov. Jay Nixon signed a bill into law prohibiting the Missouri Department of Revenue from complying with the act’s standards.

Noncompliance means Missouri driver’s licenses would not be accepted as identification for commercial air flights. The policy already is in effect at military bases and most other federal facilities, such as Springfield’s federal courthouse. Currently, 45 states are using the standard or are in the process of putting it in place. Missouri joins Washington, Montana, Minnesota and Maine as the last holdouts. The states have until Jan. 22, 2018, to comply.

Proposals for compliance have been introduced in both the Missouri House and Senate this week, but so far actions have led to lengthy debates. On Thursday, the House passed House Bill 151 allowing anyone who wants to get a Real ID-compliant driver’s license to do so, while those who don’t can opt out. The Senate bill still is stalled.

Real ID compliance requires states to scan and store source documents, such as birth certificates, paired with a photo. Critics say this amounts to a federal database of citizens and an invasion of privacy. Supporters point toward 9/11 attackers who used multiple fake driver’s licenses to board airplanes, saying the United States needs a system in place to prevent knockoffs, according to Springfield Business Journal archives.

Eric Olson contributed to this story.


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