House Passes Measure for National License Standards

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he House approved the Real ID Act Thursday, which would set national guidelines for driver’s license applicants, news services reported.

The measure would require most license applicants to show a photo ID, birth certificate, Social Security card and documentation of their full name and address, USA Today reported Friday.

The bill is likely to clear the Senate next week, USA Today said.

All the documents would then have to be checked against federal databases. Most states now require driver's license applicants to show two or three forms of ID.

The act would give states three years to comply, USA Today reported. After that, licenses from states that did not meet the new federal standards could not be used to board an airplane or enter certain federal buildings.

The National Conference of State Legislatures blasted the plan as an unfunded federal mandate that could cost states $500 million, the paper said.

Congress had considered the measure as part of the Iraq war appropriations supplement. (Click here for previous coverage.)