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Moore responds to Homeland Security’s Real ID regulations
January 11, 2008 .. Sen. Richard T. Moore, D-Uxbridge, and the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) today released statements regarding the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) release of finalized Real ID regulations. "It appears that DHS has listened to the concerns of state legislators making changes in proposed regulations for Real ID that will reduce the financial impact on states and grant a longer time frame for implementation," said Moore, who chairs the NCSL Homeland Security Task Force. We’re looking now at the fine print to determine just how far the Administration has moved in easing the burden of this law." Moore and NCSL’s opposition to Real ID stems from the fact that Real ID was passed without sufficient deliberation, and would impose mandates that are too restrictive and too expensive for individual states. There was $44 million allotted by Congress for what states estimate would have collectively cost $11 billion. Sen. Moore is the lead sponsor of legislation which states that the Massachusetts Legislature should not enact any legislation or appropriate any funds to further the implementation of Real ID until the various grievances are addressed. Governors, state legislators and motor vehicle administrators are pleased that many of the regulations announced today seem to reflect comments and recommendations submitted by NCSL, the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA) and the National Governors Association (NGA) to DHS, including extending compliance deadlines and giving states flexibility to manage their systems and make them more secure. DHS also recognized that the implementation cost was an issue by making changes to reduce costs to states. Their estimate remains significant at $3.9 billion. To date, however, Congress has appropriated less than 3 percent of the projected costs to assist states. "While it seems that DHS has eased the most onerous aspects of their proposed regulations in response to comments from state legislators and officials, there are still some important concerns," added Moore. "The financial burden on states seems to be cut from an estimated $11 billion to $3.9 billion over the next five years, however, it will still be a burden on this difficult economy, unless the federal government provides more funding to support the program. Additionally, we remain concerned about the potential impact of the new program on the civil liberties of all Americans while recognizing the need to make our nation more secure from terrorism." The three national organizations plan to continue to review the regulations and meet with state stakeholders to determine the full impact of these new rules. |
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