PRINTER'S NO. 579
No. 101 Session of 2007
INTRODUCED BY SIPTROTH, BELFANTI, BIANCUCCI, CALTAGIRONE,
CARROLL, CLYMER, COHEN, DERMODY, DONATUCCI, HENNESSEY, HESS,
HORNAMAN, JAMES, KIRKLAND, KOTIK, MUNDY, O'NEILL, PALLONE,
READSHAW, SANTONI, SCHRODER, STABACK AND VULAKOVICH,
MARCH 6, 2007
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT, MARCH 6, 2007
A RESOLUTION
1 Urging the United States Secretary of Homeland Security to
2 provide the assistance needed for implementation of the REAL
3 ID Act of 2005 and urging the Congress of the United States
4 to provide the funding needed for implementation of the act.
5 WHEREAS, In May 2005 the Congress passed and President Bush
6 signed into law the REAL ID Act of 2005, which was attached to
7 the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act for Defense, the
8 Global War on Terror, and Tsunami Relief, 2005 (H.R. 1268, P.L.
9 109-13); and
10 WHEREAS, Under the REAL ID Act of 2005 (REAL ID), a state
11 must implement new minimum Federal standards for the issuance of
12 driver's licenses (DL) and identification cards (ID) by May 2008
13 or the Federal Government will not recognize the state's DL/ID
14 for Federal purposes; and
15 WHEREAS, REAL ID unifies the disparate identification
16 credentialing among states and makes it harder to fraudulently
17 obtain or produce a driver's license or identification card; and
1 WHEREAS, Certain REAL ID provisions were impelled by the
2 lawful presence in the United States of the September 11, 2001,
3 terrorists who possessed legitimate driver's licenses and
4 identification cards; and
5 WHEREAS, Title II of REAL ID repeals the provisions of a
6 December 2004 law that established a cooperative state-Federal
7 process to create Federal standards for driver's licenses and
8 directly imposes prescriptive Federal standards for the issuance
9 of driver's licenses and identification cards; and
10 WHEREAS, Funds are needed for states to comply with REAL ID
11 requirements to issue a new driver's license and identification
12 card to citizens; to recredential existing license and
13 identification card holders, including 8.9 million in the
14 Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; to ensure the physical security of
15 locations where driver's licenses and identification cards are
16 produced and the security of the raw materials from which they
17 are made; to provide additional training and background checks
18 for Department of Motor Vehicle employees; to upgrade, adapt and
19 maintain existing systems; and to complete the extensive
20 document verification requirements; and
21 WHEREAS, REAL ID provides the Department of Homeland Security
22 (DHS) with the authority to make grants to states to assist in
23 conforming to the minimum Federal standards to carry out the law
24 but does not appropriate any funding to defray implementation or
25 ongoing costs; and
26 WHEREAS, It has been estimated that the cost of implementing
27 REAL ID to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania could be up to $100
28 million or more depending on the requirements of regulations yet
29 to be communicated to states; and
30 WHEREAS, It remains unclear how much funding, if any, will
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1 come from the Federal Government and how much the states will
2 have to bear costs of this mandate by raising fees on driver's
3 licenses and identification cards or by other potential cost-
4 recovery measures; and
5 WHEREAS, The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is in immediate
6 need of regulations from the United States Department of
7 Homeland Security and assured funding from the Federal
8 Government to successfully carry out the REAL ID requirements
9 and comply with this congressional mandate; therefore be it
10 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the
11 Commonwealth of Pennsylvania urge the United States Secretary of
12 Homeland Security to provide the assistance needed for REAL ID
13 implementation, including immediate issuance of regulations; and
14 be it further
15 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives urge the Congress
16 to appropriate the funding necessary to support implementation
17 and ongoing costs of REAL ID to states; and be it further
18 RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to
19 the United States Secretary of Homeland Security, to the
20 presiding officers of each house of Congress and to each member
21 of Congress from Pennsylvania.
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