MINNESOTA HOUSE APPROVES REPEAL OF REAL ID MORATORIUM
ST. PAUL – Members of the Minnesota House of Representatives approved legislation that would allow Minnesota to prepare for the implementation of REAL ID. State Representative Josh Heintzeman (R-Nisswa) voted in favor of the measure.
"I want folks to be assured that their Minnesota driver’s license will not prevent them from boarding an airplane until at least 2018,” said Heintzeman. “The legislation we passed today gives lawmakers and state agencies the opportunity to bring Minnesota into compliance well in advance of the 2018 deadline while also balancing Minnesotans’ privacy concerns.”
In January, the Department of Homeland Security told Minnesota it had until 2018 to develop REAL ID-compliant licenses in order for residents to board an airplane. Currently Minnesota's licenses do not comply with the federal REAL ID Act.
Minnesota had previously approved a law barring Minnesota's Department of Public Safety from even discussing REAL ID compliance with Homeland Security. The measure approved by the House recently would partially eliminate that ban and allow the planning process to begin.
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