The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Michigan is urging Michigan legislators to oppose the Real ID Act of 2005. The ACLU has organized an email letter writing campaign calling on members of the Michigan House of Representatives and Senate to join with Representative John Espinoza and Senator Gilda Jacobs to co-sponsor resolutions in both chambers. According to the ACLU, 12 states and more than 600 organizations have gone on the record opposing the Real ID Act.
The letter summarizes the concerns of the ACLU about the Real Id Act:
REAL ID harms civil liberties. It is a de facto National ID card. Americans have resisted such a card for years, recognizing the threat to our privacy and freedom of movement that comes when we have to “show our papers.” REAL ID also increases the risk of identity theft by exposing the personal information contained on drivers’ licenses. All of these problems deserve a thorough review. REAL ID requires state governments to create an extensive database that will be shared by all 50 states and the federal government, making it an identity thief’s dream.
There are better ways to safeguard our security and improve drivers’ license than the REAL ID Act. As directed by the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 (based on the Report of the 9/11 Commission) a group of state and federal lawmakers, drivers’ license experts and civil libertarians had already begun to meeting in a negotiated rulemaking process aimed at securing our licenses in a cost effective manner that respected American’s privacy. Those efforts were swept aside by REAL ID’s “one-size fits all” solution: another federal mandate to be paid for by the states.
According to concerns expressed by organizations such as the National Conference of State Legislators, the National Governor’s Association and the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, REAL ID will be an administrative nightmare. Additionally, the costs to implement the provisions of the Act are expected to be in the millions of dollars for each state.
West Michigan Representatives Vern Ehlers of Grand Rapids and Pete Hoekstra of Holland both voted for the Real ID Act in 2005. In the fall of 2005 the measured passed in the Senate as part of a $82 billion spending bill for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Related posts:
- Michigan Organizing Project Press Conference on the Real ID Act
- West Michigan ACLU and the Patriot Act
- ACLU Urges State Senate to Pass Bill Ending Mandatory Life Sentences for Juveniles
- West Michigan Groups Organizing to Oppose Employee Free Choice Act
- ACLU Plans Statewide Demonstrations Outside Stabenow’s Offices
