Janice Kephart Director of National Security Policy, Center for Immigration Studies Heritage Foundation July 14, 2009

 REAL ID Driver License provisions derive from:  9/11 Commission recommendations (2004)  Federal standards to be set for secure driver license and birth record issuance  Travel documents are as important as weapons to a terrorist– essential to assure people are who they say they are  AAMVA Security Framework (2004)  To assure people are who they say they are requires identity verification and document authentication including date of birth, passport info, legal status

REAL ID PASS ID  Identity Verification / Document Authentication.  Verify Identity by requiring States to digitize birth records and provide connectivity so any vital record can be checked by any State  Authenticate information provided to obtain a license, including:  Social Security information  Immigration or lawful presence  Passport numbers and photos  Multiple proof of principal place of residence.  Identity Verification / Document Authentication.  Validate identity by checking paper provided by applicant. Eliminates birth record digitization and connectivity.  Authenticate information provided to obtain a license, including:  Social Security information, but State can resolve mismatches as like  Immigration or lawful presence  Eliminates passport numbers and photos  Eliminates mulitple proof of identity, such as principal place of residence.

REAL IDPASS ID  "Official Purposes" Requirement: REAL IDs will be required to board a commercial aircraft or enter a federal building and for other uses for "official purposes.”  "Official Purposes" Requirement: Eliminated.

REAL IDPASS ID  Security Plans. To ensure states meet security and privacy standards and to hold them accountable, REAL ID requires states to submit detailed security plans.  Security Plans. Eliminated.

REAL IDPASS ID  One Driver, One License. REAL ID requires creation of a network of state databases to enable states to verify that applicants do not hold multiple licenses in multiple states.  One Driver, One License. Eliminated.

 Enhanced Driver Licenses. PASS ID does enable the Secretary of Homeland Security to certify EDL as REAL ID compliant.  With EDLs in PASS ID, EDL states would have access to REAL ID monies.  Encourages other border States to produce them.  Welcome amendment to current REAL ID.

 New Grants and No Fees.  New Grant program created by PASS ID to replace the current REAL ID grant program. Eliminates requirement that States account for monies received.  No fees. PASS ID assures free access to any federally maintained database such as  the legal presence database SAVE or  those used to verify Social Security numbers.  (Current practice charges a fee… best result: at cost.)

 REAL ID requires birth record digitization and passport verification.  PASS ID eliminates both, even though both are in process of being integrated into State systems today.  Proponents claim PASS ID adheres to  9/11 Commission recommendations and  Will promote secure driver license issuance  Yet elimination of birth record verification negates PASS ID proponents’ claims.  Why is this so important?  No matter what other documents or information an applicant for a driver license submits, everyone submits a birth date. Verifying date of birth is thus absolutely VITAL to a secure driver license issuance process.

 Current Status of States’ birth record digitization effort:  3 years ago, only 3 States had digitized and created connectivity to access vital records in other States.  Today,15 States and New York City have digitized and or “cleaned up” their birth records.  Five more to be completed by end of  All States will be compliant by the last REAL ID deadline of May 2011, according to the non-profit implementing this program.

 Total cost of connecting all States and territories vital records:  $3.8 million, already provided for in prior fiscal years and being used now.  Total cost of digitizing and cleaning up e-records in all States:  less than $102.5 million (probably about $75 million) estimated by the National Association for Public Health Statistics and Information Systems (NAPHSIS) upon completion of a survey of the States three years ago.  Senator Kyl offered an amendment last week for $30 million towards funding digitization in the FY 2010 Homeland Security budget.

 Kentucky: Example of Time/Cost Constraints of Clean-up  Kentucky had a poor electronic database of birth records.  In 2008, the cleanup took about three months for three to four staff to clean up errors and physically pull the original copy of the Certificate of Live Birth to determine if a keying error was made and subsequently manually update these files.  In the end a massive data migration and clean up took place to migrate over six million birth records dating back to  After arrival of the new dedicated server from NAPHSIS, Kentucky Registrar of Vital Events noted that to get the program, called EVVE, up and running took about two days.  Experiencing about an 85 percent match rate.  No matches are resolved in about 30 minutes.

 PASS ID is unnecessary; REAL ID is a better, stronger law that at least 16 states openly support.  PASS ID eliminates key elements of security called on by AAMVA’s Security Framework and does not live up to 9/11 Commission recommendations.  Eliminating birth record digitization and interstate connectivity is perhaps the single most negative aspect of PASS ID.

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