Congress Considering National Standards for Drivers' Licenses

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ongress is considering setting national standards for states to follow in issuing drivers’ licenses, the New York Times reported Tuesday.

In a front-page story the paper said new rules would require states to verify that license holders or those seeking renewal are in the country legally.

A provision covering all states and territories is close to being passed within an appropriations bill for the Iraq war, the Times said, citing congressional aides.

States would require proof of citizenship or legal presence, proof of address and proof of a Social Security number, the paper reported. They would be required to check the status of noncitizens against a national immigration database, to save copies of all documents and to store a digital image of each applicant.

Some state officials are concerned over the cost of the new requirements, and privacy advocates said the plan could in effect lead to national identification cards, which could be more vulnerable to identity theft, the Times reported.

Supporters, being led by Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.), say it will deter terrorist attacks that that the plan addresses security problems, the Times said. They note that some of the 9/11 hijackers used driver's licenses as identification and that a few had expired visas.

The paper said the plan would replace parts of an intelligence bill passed in December that called on state and federal agencies to develop new rules for drivers' licenses. Those provisions did not specifically require states to check applicants’ citizenship or immigration status.

The Times said 11 states now grant licenses to noncitizens without visas, though there is no reliable estimate of how many licenses have been issued to noncitizens in the country, either legally or illegally.