The basics of the matter are simple: Beginning in October 2020, Washington residents will need an enhanced driver’s license or additional ID such as a passport to board a commercial airplane. As of Sunday, basic driver’s licenses issued by the state are marked by the words “federal limits apply,” and in two years those licenses will not be adequate for the Transportation Security Administration or to enter federal facilities such as military bases.
That part of the issue is fairly clear. But how we arrived at this point is a convoluted story of stifling bureaucracy that requires some explanation.
In 2005, Congress passed The REAL ID Act as a response to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The act calls for state-issued identification to meet certain standards — namely, proof of citizenship — in a desire to prevent undocumented residents from accessing federal facilities.
Proof of citizenship is not a requirement for a Washington driver’s license (it is, however, a requirement for voter registration). Because of that, the state’s driver’s licenses have been out of compliance with The REAL ID Act. But Washington and several other states received a series of waivers from the federal government, allowing their licenses to be accepted under federal guidelines.
Those waivers have been the most disconcerting part of the lingering issue. While they have simplified things for Washington residents rather than requiring a change to driver’s licenses or the carrying of additional documentation, they have effectively ignored a federal law.
If The REAL ID Act is necessary for national security, it should be enforced; if not, it should be repealed. The fact that the federal government — dating back to the Bush administration — has allowed states to work around the law suggests that the regulation is unnecessary. Laws are only as effective as the enforcement behind them.
In 2015, the Obama administration finally set deadlines for enforcing the act, and in 2017 the Washington Legislature carved out a solution. The state now is offering a two-tiered system, with standard licenses falling short of the federal guidelines. Residents instead can purchase an enhanced license that requires proof of citizenship and meets federal requirements, allowing them to board an airplane or cross the U.S. border. The standard license costs $54 for six years, and the enhanced version costs $78 for six years. As part of a legislative compromise, the price for an enhanced license has been reduced from $108. Details about the REAL ID changes can be found at http://www.dol.wa.gov.
The compromise that resulted in two-tiered licensing addressed concerns from critics that a license indicating “federal limits apply” could be used to infer citizenship — or lack thereof. State law prohibits such an inference, and the use of a standard license cannot be used to spark an immigration investigation that would not have otherwise occurred. We hope those guidelines are followed rather than allowing the state’s two-tiered system to become part of the current debate over immigration.
All of that probably represents more detail than most residents require. The bottom line is that beginning in October 2020, Washington residents will need to have an enhanced driver’s license or a passport, military ID or other federally recognized document to board an airplane.
That is a relatively simple explanation, but getting to this point has been a winding and confusing journey.
