JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — This year, Missouri residents got a shock: They couldn't use their driver's licenses as identification to enter military bases.
In two years, they will need passports to get on airplanes, even for domestic travel.
The General Laws Committee of the Missouri House advanced a bill Tuesday toward addressing the issue. Sponsored by Rep. Kevin Corlew, R-Kansas City, the bill would give Missourians the option to get a driver's license or ID card that would comply with the federal REAL ID Act of 2005, which established the minimum security standards promulgated by the Department of Homeland Security.
The department announced at the beginning of the legislative session that state-issued IDs from Missouri, as well as four other states, will not be accepted in federal compounds, such as federal courthouses and military bases.
Of the legislation filed by Senate and House members, Corlew's bill is further along in the legislative steps than any of the others. With a month left in the session, it still must clear the hurdles of being passed by the full House, Senate committees and the full Senate before heading to the governor's desk.
In 2009, Gov. Jay Nixon signed into law a bill that prohibited the Department of Revenue, which issues driver's licenses, from complying with the REAL ID Act. The worry was that one of the measures — collecting biometric data from driver's license photos and scanning source documents — would be a violation of privacy. The information would have been stored in a federal database, an idea that worried legislators.
"We can't just wait until 2018 to pass the bill," Corlew said. "There is preparation and lead-up."
Corlew's bill goes around existing law and lets residents make the choice of whether they want to opt in, while keeping the old system in place for Missourians who have privacy concerns.
Reps. Tracy McCreery, D-St. Louis, and Eric Burlison, R-Springfield, were the only two to vote against bill during the committee hearing. McCreery said they both believe that having two systems to be a waste of resources.
Corlew said the concerns of those who want higher privacy standards are valid.
"The political reality is that we have to provide a choice," Corlew said.
Officials at most military bases in Missouri and the federal courthouse in St. Louis said they would currently accept Missouri driver's licenses as a valid form of identification. However, for all other federal locations, Corlew said he doesn't want Missourians to have to pay costly fees or go through the hassle of obtaining a passport.
Extension
Missouri was one of the first states to receive an extension on reaching Real ID compliance, which is why it is one of the first states being affected by the act. Twenty-three states are compliant, while many other states have programs in place to work toward compliance.
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