Georgia lawmakers gear up to oppose national ID requirements

http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/stories/2006/12/17/12218metrealid.html

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Starting May 11, 2008, everyone in the country will have to provide extensive proof of their identity when they
apply for a license. The details of how the act will be implemented haven't been worked out yet, but the federal government will not recognize licenses from states that do not comply with its provisions.

That means passing through airport security to board a plane, entering a federal building or accessing other federal services would be impossible without the ID.

Then there's the cost. A recent study estimated it will cost the states more than $11 billion to comply with the Real ID Act.

Legislators in Georgia and elsewhere are rebelling against the federal mandates contained in the act. State Sen. Mitch Seabaugh (R-Sharpsburg) says the act's requirements are an invasion of privacy, could open the door to identity fraud and will cost Georgia taxpayers as much as $85 million to implement.

Seabaugh has filed Senate Bill 5, which will be taken up when the Georgia General Assembly meets in January. The bill authorizes the governor to delay compliance with the Real ID Act until it is "expressly guaranteed by the (U.S) Department of Homeland Security, through adequately defined safeguards, that implementation of the Real ID Act will not compromise the economic privacy or biological security of any citizen or resident of the state of Georgia."

Seabaugh said he envisions a nightmare scenario where Georgians will have to stand in line for hours to present proper documents to get a driver's license. Seabaugh and others wonder what might happen if such a massive database was accessed by identity thieves.

when they were screaming to make nat'l IDs a reality.

The other day I was reading a rant by members of a gun website on National ID - they were asleep at the switch when this was passed, but now they are starting to wake up to how Bush and the Rethugs in Congress are abusing the Constitution.

I know a constitutional law professor who is a moderate Paleo-Con and he is absolutely furious at the Neo-Cons.

Will make BILLIONS OF $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ in this scheme

everyone to cooperate in lancing the boil(s).

I moved to Ga. in 2000. I had to produce a birth certificate that had a State seal and my old Pa. license. What else do they want, and what could possibly cost so much money?