January 19, 2017
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation /for PhillyVoice
A Pennsylvania driver's license sample.
Pennsylvania officials will have a few more months to make state-issued identification cards meet federal security standards.
Gov. Tom Wolf's office announced Thursday that the Department of Homeland Security has granted a five-month extension to comply with the REAL ID Act. State lawmakers have until June 5 to commit to meeting stricter ID requirements.
The REAL ID Act, which was passed in 2005 by Congress, established minimum security standards for state-issued ID cards. Under the law, federal agencies were barred from accepting forms of ID not in compliance for boarding aircraft and other official purposes.
Last month, Pennsylvanians were warned that their driver's licenses and ID cards would no longer be accepted beginning Jan. 30 to allow access to federal buildings. Wolf, along with leaders from parties of the state Legislature, sent a letter requesting an extension to DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson by expressing a commitment to resolving the issue.
The state's failure to comply stems from Act 38, which was passed with overwhelming bipartisan support in 2012. The law explicitly prohibited the state from meeting with REAL ID requirements.
If state lawmakers are unable to adequately address the problem, Pennsylvanians' ability to use air travel could be restricted.
The Transportation Security Administration announced it will begin enforcing REAL ID laws for boarding domestic flights beginning January 2018. That means Pennsylvania driver's licenses and ID cards would no longer be accepted for air travel.
Both Wolf and state legislative leaders publicly support an effort to ensure a bill is passed in time.
