MAINE CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION FOUNDATION

Rejecting a National ID Card: Keeping Real ID Out of Maine
Senate Majority Leader, Secretary of State Will Participate in Augusta Forum

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Augusta:  What do the Maine Senate Majority Leader, the Secretary of State, the Cato Institute, and the Executive Directors of the Maine Sportsman’s Alliance and the Maine Civil Liberties Union have in common?  They all think Real ID is bad for Maine, and they’ll be talking about how to keep it out of our state at a public forum on Wednesday, January 24 at 6:30 p.m. at Augusta’s Buker Center.

The federal Real ID Act, passed quietly in 2005, mandates that by 2008 Maine turn its driver’s license into a national ID card that will be part of a 50-state shared database. 

“The federal government wants to turn our Maine driver’s licenses into internal passports with computer-readable zones that contain all our personal information and then link the cards to a national database” said Shenna Bellows, Executive Director of the Maine Civil Liberties Union.  “It’s like opening up a one-stop shop for identity thieves, and it’s a frightening threat to personal security.”
 
Real ID had caused real concern at both ends of the political spectrum, drawing together leaders who worry that it’s an unfunded mandate, a bureaucratic nightmare, and a threat to the security of our personal information. 

“Nationally, costs of the Real ID Act have been estimated to be around $11 billion. Maine’s share is around $185 million over the first five years,” said Secretary of State Matt Dunlap.  “This is more than six times the annual budget for the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, and none of these costs are addressed by the Federal government.”

Members of the Maine Legislature believe this state can lead the way in opposing Real ID, and they have proposed a resolution stating that Maine will not adopt the federal standards included in the Real ID Act.  If the resolution passes, it could pave the way for statewide legislation and, eventually, a federal repeal of the Act. 

“The federal government is apparently willing to burden the State of Maine with millions of dollars in costs to participate in a program that won’t make us any safer,” said Senate Majority Leader Libby Mitchell.  “It’s time for the people of Maine to say ‘no way- not in our state.’”

Members of the public are invited to join Bellows, Dunlap, Mitchell, The Cato Institute’s Jim Harper, and MSA Executive Director George Smith at a forum to learn more about Real ID and what we can do to make sure Maine rejects this dangerous legislation.

For more information on Real ID, go to www.realnightmare.org

What: Rejecting a National ID Card: Keeping Real ID Out of Maine
A public forum on impending Real ID Regulations

When: Wednesday, January 24, 2007 6:30 pm

Where: Buker Center, 22 Armory Street, Augusta

Who: Cato Institute Director of Information Policy Studies Jim Harper, Senate Majority Leader Libby Mitchell, Secretary of State Matt Dunlap, MSA Executive Director George Smith, and MCLU Executive Director Shenna Bellows

This event is free and open to the public.  FMI: call Rachel, 774-5444

###

401 Cumberland Avenue •  Suite 105 •  Portland, Maine  04101 •  207 774-5444 •  Fax 207 774-1103