Illinois leaders say identification law is a nightmare

Illinois has joined a growing number of states encouraging the repeal of a federal law requiring all citizens to have a standardized identification card or driver's license.

Late last month, the Illinois Senate joined the House in passing a non-binding resolution that rejects the federal Real ID Act, which mandates that all U.S. citizens have a national identification card by 2013. States are required to implement the program by 2008, and Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White has begun hiring personnel to launch the program.

The action by Illinois lawmakers is not legally binding, but it does portend problems for White. Besides potentially placing Illinois in non-compliance with a federal mandate, the move sets up a likely funding shortfall in White's office. White is worried that state lawmakers won't fund the program, which he estimated would cost $150 million over the next five years.

"It puts us in a real bind," said Dave Druker, a spokesman for White. "This is legislation that is passed by the United States Congress and federally mandated. But frankly, every indication is that the General Assembly is not going to pay for it."

A Republican-controlled Congress passed the law, which grew out of a report from the 9/11 Commission, in 2005 as an effort to prevent terrorism. Since then, critics of Real ID have complained that it is a blatant invasion of privacy and would make citizens too vulnerable to identity theft.

State Rep. Karen Yarbrough (D-Maywood), one of the House sponsors of the resolution to reject the act, called the law a "bureaucratic nightmare."

Illinois residents have complained about long waits at White's facilities across the state, although Druker maintained those delays are abating. But, he said, if another 4 million people besides the 8.5 million Illinois drivers have to obtain ID cards and pass through those offices by 2013, there's a good possibility of chaos. White would need to hire 300 to 400 new employees to implement the program, Druker said.

Other critics, particularly civil libertarians, have been less charitable in their assessment of the law than Yarbrough.

Ed Yohnka, a spokesman for the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois, said a government database of all citizens and some of their personal information smacks of Big Brotherism and would be a gold mine for identity thieves. He noted that the state's database of driver's licenses has fought off tens of thousands of improper access attempts.

Under Real ID, every citizen would be required to give personal information to the government whether they obtained a driver's license or not. Also, without a federally sanctioned ID card, residents could be denied entrance into government buildings.

"This would be one-stop shopping for identity thieves," Yohnka said. "Everything would be stored in one place. I even worry about the federal government playing around in a database like that."

Supporters of the law, however, have said that forcing people to carry a federally sanctioned ID card would be a great stride toward preventing terrorism.

"Who would not want a more secure identification process with their driver's license in a post-9/11 world?" asked Neil Berro, executive director of the New York-based Coalition for a Secure Driver's License. "This is the common-sense approach."

Illinois' potential problems with non-compliance might be solved in Washington.

At least 10 states besides Illinois have made similar moves to rebuke the federal law. The strong resistance from the states has emboldened critics, leading them to believe that the now Democrat-controlled Congress will repeal the law.

"I think you're really beginning to see broad opposition that is coming from across the country, and the Congress is going to have to respond to it," Yohnka said.

Online: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/southsouthwest/chi-realidjun07,1,6252807.story