Licenses, border security to be examined at Tuesday hearing

A major hearing is planned in the Senate Tuesday to examine programs pushed by the Bush administration establishing border security requirements and state mandates for driver licenses.

Comment on this article in The Forum.The hearing will be held by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Oversight of Government Management Subcommittee to examine if the federal government is prepared to implement the so-called Real ID law and the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative.

Under the Real ID program, the Homeland Security Department will require states to begin, by December 2009, to verify the identity and citizenship of residents before issuing them new, secure identification documents.

The federal government will not accept driver licenses and identification cards from states that are not in compliance with the law, meaning that residents from those states would not be allowed to use those documents to board airplanes or enter federal buildings. The law fully goes into effect in December 2017.

A handful of states have passed laws prohibiting them from complying with the law. Homeland Security narrowly averted a showdown starting this May with some states by granting them time extensions to comply.

The time extension was given to states that assert they will not comply.

Homeland Security estimates it will cost states about $4 billion to come into compliance with the law over 10 years - a figure state governors counter is too low. Homeland Security contends that states can use up to 20 percent of their state homeland security grant funds to meet the mandate, but state officials and many lawmakers say that funding is needed for other purposes.

Some lawmakers have said they want to repeal the Real ID law.

The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative will require U.S. citizens and other travelers coming into the United States by land and sea from countries in the Western Hemisphere to present secure identification documents, such as passports, beginning in June 2009.

A law enacted last year prevented Homeland Security from implementing WHTI until that time. Lawmakers said they were happy the department did not try to skirt the law.

Many lawmakers are worried the new rules could lead to confusion and create major problems for tourism and trade. They noted that major passport application backlogs occurred last year when the department implemented WHTI for air travelers, causing the Homeland Security and State departments to back off on implementing the rule for about six months.

The State Department is expected to soon begin issuing new passport-like cards that can be used to comply with WHTI. Lawmakers, however, remain skeptical of State's ability to meet demand for the cards.

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and Transportation Security Administration Administrator Kip Hawley Monday will unveil a new airport security checkpoint at Baltimore-Washington International Airport. The checkpoint is expected to calm the process of screening passengers, making it easier for security officials to detect threats.

On Wednesday, Chertoff will join Dorit Beinisch, president of the Supreme Court of Israel, at a discussion at the conservative Heritage Foundation. The panel is expected to discuss civil rights and the war on terror.