4th District Republican Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler announced on Twitter this morning that Missouri has been granted an extension to comply with federal standards for government issued ID’s.
According to Hartzler, Missouri driver’s licenses will be counted as compliant for federal security checkpoints, including at airports, through October 2018. She said she was happy to support the extension along with the rest of the Missouri House delegation in a letter to the Department of Homeland Security last summer.
Missouri has received several extensions of the law over the years because the state legislature failed to move forward on the issue. In 2016, the federal government notified the state that no more extensions would be granted.
A small coalition of legislators, primarily Republicans, have protested against the federal law over storage of personal information in a database.
State Senator Ryan Silvey, R-Kansas City, sponsored a bill signed into law this year that lets Missourians choose whether they want a federal compliant or non-compliant driver’s license.
At the time, he said he expected the Missouri Department of Revenue, which is overseeing implementation of the law, to begin issuing compliant ID’s in 6 to 18 months.
Silvey also said he thought the Revenue Department would ask the federal government for an extension of the January 2018 deadline to come into compliance.
Stricter ID requirements are tied to the 9/11 terrorist attacks and were recommended by the 9/11 Commission. The federal REAL ID Act, which was passed in 2005, requires more stringent identification standards for homeland security and immigration purposes.
Stiffer security standards are already in place at many federal facilities and military bases, and some Missourians have had to use a non-compliant ID with additional identification, such as a birth certificate or Social Security card, to gain access.