The State Senate Finance Committee adopted the Senate Democrats version of budget repair on Thursday, a move that would shift nearly $22,000,000 appropriated to Real ID, to a general fund for use in the filling the state budget hole.The American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin is applauding this move.
“But there is a better solution and that is to drop Real ID completely,” says Chris Ahmuty, Executive Director of the ACLU of Wisconsin. Ahmuty claims at least 17 states have passed some form of legislation or resolution to reject Real ID. The federal anti-terrorism law requires a more secure identification card available through the Department of Motor Vehicles. States have been hesitate to implement the 2005 law because, in part, it’s so costly for them to do so. Wisconsin has been granted an extension to comply until December 31st, 2009.
Ahumty disagrees with Real ID, calling it “a national ID card” that would be invasive to the freedoms of law-abiding Americans. He also believes people would simply find new ways forge the new identification. He gives examples of how this happens already.
“You hear these stories about somebody at the Motor Vehicles Department was arrested for passing out fake IDs or making up fake IDs,” says Ahmuty.
He also cites another recent event in which an Army Reserve station in Milwaukee was burglarized for blank Military ID’s and the equipment to make them.
