Passports Required for Some U.S. Domestic Travel in 2016?
forbes.com
forbes.com
The article stretches this idea over several paragraphs of fear-mongering; fretting over the possible Orwellian abuses a tyrannical Internal Revenue Service could impose on mild-mannered tax delinquents.
I'm impressed with how good the top subthreads here turned out to be, with such bad seed material.
The original proposal of a pan-North-American shared database and other genuinely suboptimal ideas were scrapped in the revision a decade ago. You're probably thinking of this original iteration when you describe its unpopularity.
Which is false. They are able to use them for all purposes now (except for Minnesota, non-enhanced driver's licenses), because while the Phases of real ID prior to domestic air transport are in effect, all of those states -- and many others that are not fully compliant with Real ID -- have extensions [either granted after review, or shorter extensions while an application is reviewed] into 2016 to allow their licenses to be used for all purposes.) Minnesota (which also offers Enhanced Driver's Licenses which can be used for all RealID purpose and as border-crossing documents) and American Samoa [0] are the only jurisdictions that are out of compliance with Real ID for normal ID, and which therefore can't be used for RealID covered purposes which are in effect (domestic air transport isn't in effect yet, so IDs from those jurisdictions can still be used for that purpose.)
If DHS schedules Phase 4 -- which it has said it will not do with less than 120 days notice, and no earlier than 2016, and only after review of current readiness -- then licenses from jurisdictions (mostly states) that are not compliant and are not covered by a granted extension could not be used for domestic air transport, just as they can't be used for other RealID covered purposes (mostly access for federal facilities, with an exception for access for the purpose of applying for benefits) now. But it seems unlikely that they will schedule Phase 4 until all jurisdictions are ready, anyway.
Yes, the TSA obviously wants everyone to think they need ID because having thousands more people going through checkpoints everyday without proper ID will tax the system. However, the Real ID legislation requires all agencies who require Real ID to have other mechanisms in place to deal with individuals who don't have identification, for obvious reasons.
https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/identification
"In the event you arrive at the airport without proper ID, because it is lost or at home, you may still be allowed to fly."
Every time I've done it, they ask me a few questions and I get a pat-down which is no big deal anyway since I never go through their scanner anyway.
EDIT: Oh, I never have checked bags. I think that helps make it smoother.
So you commit perjury, correct?
Quite true. But did you know it is a felony to make false statements? Martha Stewart probably didn't know that before, but she does now.
Lying to a federal official is some other criminal offence and is a pretty bad idea.
If a TSA agent needs to do anything beyond their remit, they must get a law enforcement officer to do it.
[0] The TSA's kangaroo court has been gradually expanding what the TSA feels it is legally permitted to do as time goes on, but -happily- Federal judges have started to take a really dim view on the TSA's (incredibly long-standing) procedural end run around judicial review.
[1] https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/identification
I think it makes sense. Passpprts are a lot more secure than US identity cards. It's kinda silly how little security measures you guys have on your IDs.
Or have I only been seeing old ones? Do new ones have any of that shiny stuff?
For example in Maryland: http://www.mva.maryland.gov/drivers/apply/id-card.htm
Here's CA for example: https://dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/?1dmy&urile=wcm:path:/dmv_cont...
US federal govt issues a plenty of different ID cards.
There's also a bunch of tribal ones that are accepted.
Most states have phased out paper licenses in favor of newer plastic cards with more modern security features, but, the old licenses still remain valid for a while which leads to multiple variants out in the wild until everyone has been in for a renewal. Some states - like New York cited in the article - have good security features on the new licenses themselves, but the identity verification requirements to obtain the license were too weak for the federal standard.