The United States Congress passed the REAL ID Act in 2005 in response to the terrorist attacks on 9/11. The REAL ID Act requires states to adopt and implement uniform standards for the issuance and production of state-issued driver licenses and identification cards if they are to be accepted as identity documents by the federal government. This Act strengthens the integrity and security of state-issued cards in an effort to reduce identity fraud and terrorism
Yeah, here’s how that works IRL.
Yesterday I had an appointment at DPS to renew my DL. I took a copy of my birth certificate, but a very kind young woman (hey, I’m old; they’re all “young women” now) explained where to go (local county clerk’s office) to get a certificate that would be acceptable. So off I went.
Once there I met another friendly government employee (I can remember when that was an oxymoron) who had me fill out a form and…present my driver’s license for ID. With that and a credit card , I had my document that would allow me to get…a driver’s license.
It wasn’t Kafkaesque. It was more like finding myself in a Terry Gilliam film. To renew my DL as “Real ID,” I needed a birth certificate. To get my birth certificate, I needed my DL.
I feel so much more protected against identity theft and terrorism now.
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