The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has denied an additional extension for the state of Maine to comply with the U.S. REAL ID law, which could have an effect on the use of Maine driver’s licenses and IDs for identification.
Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap says he feels it’s important that people know additional restrictions are not going to happen overnight.
“We’re working with our federal partners, our congressional delegation and with the Legislature and the governor’s office to sort of understand what our next steps should be,” he says.
Currently Maine licenses and IDs are not acceptable identification for access to military bases, nuclear power plants and other federal facilities. As it stands, on Jan. 30, 2017, federal agencies will no longer accept Maine licenses and IDs for official purposes and, in Jan. 2018, the documents will no longer be accepted as ID to board a commercial aircraft.
There are acceptable forms of alternative identification such as passports.
Passed by Congress in 2005, in the wake of 9/11, REAL ID established minimum security standards for state-issued driver’s licenses and identification cards.
Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap says privacy concerns led the Maine Legislature to unanimously pass a law prohibiting Maine from participation in the REAL ID Act.
