Governor Corbett Signs Bill To Block Federal Real ID In Pennsylvania
By Tony Romeo
HARRISBURG, Pa (CBS ) -- Governor Tom Corbett has signed a bill that makes Pennsylvania the largest state to block implementation of the federal government's Real ID program.
The ACLU of Pennsylvania praises the move to stop Real ID. The state ACLU's legislative director Andy Hoover says the plan to create what amounts to a national ID card poses serious privacy concerns.
"Where the DMVs around the country would have to connect their databases to each other," says Hoover. "Which would mean if there was a security breach anywhere in the country, that would expose the personal information of license holders anywhere."
Hoover says the federal government has threatened to create problems for states that don't participate in Real ID, such as preventing people from boarding airliners, but with 16 states now opting out of the program – Pennsylvania being the largest – Hoover adds it's difficult to believe the feds would actually do that.
The ACLU campaigned for seven years to get Pennsylvania in that group.
Hoover says the cost of Real ID in Pennsylvania was put at $100 million to start and another $40 million annually to maintain.
