Illinois Drivers License Conundrum

Wow, there's a major issue brewing with regard to the status of the Illinois drivers license process.

You hear about this?

An Illinois driver's license might not be enough identification to get you onto a commercial flight beginning next year.  That's because state-issued driver's licenses don't meet the minimum requirements to comply with a federal security mandate meant to thwart terrorism.

And......

Secretary of State Jesse White said it will cost millions of dollars for the state to meet the requirements of the 2005 Real ID Act that sets standards for creating and processing state-issued driver's licenses and identification cards.

Millions.

Millions.... that Illinois does not have in the bank.




There's more......

The federal government is not offering funding for the project, which the Department of Homeland Security estimated in a 2008 report would cost $4 billion nationwide.

Yeesh.


Time is running out though......

White's office already has been granted two extensions by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The second one runs out in mid-October.

Great.  Just great.

Illinois is already in a dire financial mess.

Where in the world are we gonna come up with an extra $100 mill.?

For a mostly meaningless program like this ID one?


Out for now.......

Matt