Top Stories

U.S. Department of Homeland Security grants PA REAL ID extension

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security granted Pennsylvania an extension to comply with REAL ID requirements through fall 2018.

The extension — granted Oct. 11 and in effect through Oct. 10, 2018 — means that during this time frame, all current Pennsylvania licenses and identification cards will be accepted for domestic-commercial flights and for entering federal buildings that require identification.

Previously, as of Jan. 22, 2018, Pennsylvanians would have needed to present alternate identification — such as a passport — for these purposes.

The REAL ID Act, passed by the U.S. Congress in 2005, mandated that states follow specific protocol and satisfy certain requirements when issuing driver’s licenses and identification cards if the federal government is to recognize the documents as valid. The government passed this act following the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

A Pennsylvania law passed in 2012 prevented the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation from complying with REAL ID. This legislation intended to maintain privacy rights for Pennsylvanians amid concerns about creating a national database of all registered license holders. The PA state legislature passed Act 3 of 2017 — also known as the Pennsylvania REAL ID Compliance Act — in May of this year, effectively repealing the 2012 law.

REAL ID licenses and ID cards will be available to Pennsylvania customers in spring 2019, according to PennDOT’s website. The state will need to make a system, building infrastructure and process changes to issue REAL ID-compliant cards. REAL ID would cost about $100 million to implement and $40 million to maintain annually.

PennDOT did not immediately respond to questions regarding whether identification cards not compliant with REAL ID will be accepted in the interim between Oct. 10, 2018 and spring 2019.

PennDOT’s website said the department has not yet determined how much the fee for a REAL ID will be. Standard driver’s licenses will still be an option for customers and are valid to drive, vote, apply for federal benefits, access a hospital or participate in law enforcement proceedings.

newsdesk

Share
Published by
newsdesk

Recent Posts

Pitt athletics finish March with a full weekend

As the weekend approaches, Pitt athletics prepares for a pivotal weekend of conference play and…

44 mins ago

Take 4 | NFL rule changes, Steelers and Caleb Williams

In this week’s Take 4, The Pitt News Sports Desk gives its take on the…

48 mins ago

Opinion | My first time out of the country was life-changing and yours can be too

I always wanted to travel abroad. I always imagined myself going out of the country…

60 mins ago

Opinion | I am media literate and also don’t like ‘Poor Things’

Not only was “Poor Things” a personally unpleasant watch, but the story and certain choices…

1 hour ago

Carnegie Museum spotlights conservation efforts in latest Ancient Egypt exhibition

The Carnegie Museum of Natural History revealed its newly revamped Ancient Egypt collection in early…

1 hour ago

Pitt Tonight dedicates an evening of laughter to Women’s History Month

The Frick Fine Arts auditorium reverberated with the infectious laughter of a jubilant audience. In…

1 hour ago