Maryland Told It Must Comply with Federal Real ID Driver's License Act
East News • February 1, 2007
Maryland must comply with the federal Real ID Act, Transportation Secretary nominee John D. Porcari told the Judiciary Committee on Tuesday.
The Real ID Act mandates that states verify documents ...
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Subject: RE: RE: RE: Maryland is as Maryland Does
Posted On: February 2, 2007, 11:09 am CST
Posted By: Josh
Comment:
[quote]Something else, genius - if this federal law was going to be funded by federal revenues, where do you think that money somes from - a giant money tree somewhere? The states would have to pay for it one way or another, whether it was an unfunded mandate or not.[/quote]
Unfunded mandates are a way for Congress to take credit for getting things done without taking any responsibility for the cost of their decisions. Congress would never pass RealID as a *funded* mandate, because they know the money isn't there, it will require tax increases. So instead they can try to force the states to pay for it, making state Legislatures take the heat for raising taxes or cutting basic services.
By mandating a national database, with nationally-available certified copies of birth records, SSNs, and other required identification, RealID is a de-facto *national* identity card, not a state driver's license.
Why should the cost of my uninsured motorist coverage go up because some cheapskate in D.C. wants to make my local license clerk responsible for clearly Federal responsibilities?
The DMV can't deport people, it can't detain them, it can only prevent them from getting licensed and insured, then let them walk back out the door.
If you want immigration enforcement, split INS back out of the DHS bureaucracy and give it adequate funding from Congress. Don't try to shift its job onto licensing clerks.
Subject: RE: RE: RE: Maryland is as Maryland Does
Unfunded mandates are a way for Congress to take credit for getting things done without taking any responsibility for the cost of their decisions. Congress would never pass RealID as a *funded* mandate, because they know the money isn't there, it will require tax increases. So instead they can try to force the states to pay for it, making state Legislatures take the heat for raising taxes or cutting basic services.
By mandating a national database, with nationally-available certified copies of birth records, SSNs, and other required identification, RealID is a de-facto *national* identity card, not a state driver's license.
Why should the cost of my uninsured motorist coverage go up because some cheapskate in D.C. wants to make my local license clerk responsible for clearly Federal responsibilities?
The DMV can't deport people, it can't detain them, it can only prevent them from getting licensed and insured, then let them walk back out the door.
If you want immigration enforcement, split INS back out of the DHS bureaucracy and give it adequate funding from Congress. Don't try to shift its job onto licensing clerks.