South Carolina Statehouse Blog

CONTINUED CONCERNS WITH REAL ID AND PASS ID OUTLINED

Columbia, S.C. - December 4, 2009 - In a letter sent earlier this
week, Gov. Mark Sanford both updated Homeland Security Secretary Janet
Napolitano on South Carolina’s progress in making the state’s driver’s
licenses more secure, and reiterated the administration’s strong
concerns that the federal REAL ID law represents both an infringement
on constitutional liberties and an unacceptable cost burden to the
states.

“South Carolina continues to make strides toward protecting the
personal information contained in our driver’s licenses, including
technological advances that enhance security and guard against fraud
and ID theft,” said Gov. Mark Sanford. “Given that our state’s
driver’s licenses continue to be among the most secure in the nation,
we remain skeptical of claims that REAL ID or PASS ID is the safest
and wisest route for our state and country. While attempts to contain
some of the costs associated with REAL ID in the recently amended
legislation are commendable, this federal mandate still infringes on
liberty and privacy rights, and in this case, discretion and caution
indeed seem the better part of valor. So for that reason, and for the
fact that our state law currently prevents South Carolina from
complying with REAL ID, we will continue to stand out from under this
unfunded federal mandate.”

In March of 2008, Gov. Sanford refused to apply for an extension of
the federally imposed deadline on compliance with REAL ID - in effect
forcing the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to issue an assurance
that South Carolinians would not be penalized during travel or when
visiting federal buildings. Gov. Sanford argued that the South
Carolina DMV had already met 90 percent of REAL ID’s benchmarks; that
the legislation had never been properly debated in Congress; that the
law represented a $9 billion unfunded mandate; and - most importantly
- that REAL ID presented serious threats to individual liberty.

In July of this year, Gov. Sanford again raised concerns about PASS
ID, the legislatively-revised REAL ID, and specifically questioned
whether secondary levels of screening would be mandated, and whether
the new bill’s voluntary pilot program establishing a centralized hub
of citizens’ identities would in time become mandatory. To date, these
concerns have not been addressed.

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Here is a copy of the file:

Letter to Janet Napolitano