Fears of Big Brother lead Missouri lawmakers to reject new standards for driver’s licenses. The House has voted 146-to-4 against complying with the federal law setting new standards for driver’s licenses.
Congress passed the federal Real ID Act in 2005 as a way to combat terrorists. It links state records to a national database, but what worries Rep. Mike Talboy (D-Kansas City) is the proposal to embed a computer tracking chip in the licenses. He says that would allow people to be tracked and could be abused by law enforcement to get around probably cause.
It has been learned that the 2001 terrorists obtained legitimate driver’s licenses and the Real ID Act has been promoted as a way to stop that from recurring. Rep. Jim Whorton (D-Trenton) says that can’t justify such an invasion of privacy. Sponsor Jim Guest (R-King City) tells members that we must not lose what the nation was founded on.
Congress wants compliance and says state licenses that don’t meet federal standards won’t be acceptable for various activities, such as boarding an airplane.
The resolution is HCR 20 .
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