Business Travel News: Will You Be Able to Travel By Air With Your Drivers License?
After more than a decade of passing the Real ID Act, congress has finally started taking steps against the states that refused to cooperate. In the year 2015, The DHS (Department of Homeland Security) warned about the consequences the people of a state would face if they were not willing to cooperate. Exemption was only granted till January 10th, 2016. Reports suggest that DHS has refused to renew these exemptions for Illinois, Missouri, Washington and Minnesota, and is not willing to renew them for other states, either. With all of this tension, one may ask what the big deal is behind this Real ID Act.
The act was originally passed in the year 2005, as a result of the recommendations put forward from the 9/11 Commission. It was considered vital because nineteen of the hijackers involved in those terrorist attacks had used IDs that had been issued by the states in order to board the planes. Therefore, it was recommended that state-issued IDs that do not meet the federal requirements should not be considered as reliable source to prove a person’s identity. The perception was that this law would be accepted without much fuss.
A majority of states already met the federal requirements and most of them improved to meet the requirements and were also given extensions up to 2016. However there were some strong opposition from more than twelve States. The objection was based upon the privacy concerns which would arise due to the state meeting the federal requirements.
More than 10 states also passed laws which prevented their departments related to motor vehicles from fulfilling the federal requirements. The new requirements required more strict identity proof and would have allowed user’s personal information to be shared in the national database as reported by the New York Times.
The Transportation Security Administration has now hinted that it would not accept licenses from nine U.S. States which include Illinois, Alaska, Minnesota, California, Missouri, New Mexico, New Jersey, South Carolina, State of Washington, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam and Puerto Rico.
There is some relief. Despite the deadlines and warnings given, The Department of Homeland Security has not been clear about when it would actually implement the Real ID Act. On January 1st, 2016, The Department of Homeland Security issued a statement stating that people who travel could use their licenses for two more years, but as of October 1st, 2020, travelers of all kinds will require a license that meets the requirement of the Real ID Act.
If you are visiting Connecticut or are a resident of the area and you require limousine service, consider riding with us. We pride ourselves in giving our clients the best experience, and all of our drivers possess licenses that are up-to-date with all federal requirements.
