TA - Vermont gears up for enhanced licenses

From my archive of press clippings:

Times Argus

Vermont gears up for enhanced licenses

In this file photo, Department of Motor Vehicles Commissioner Bonnie Rutledge holds a sample Vermont enhanced driver's license in Montpelier.

By Wilson Ring Associated Press - Published: November 25, 2008

MONTPELIER — The state of Vermont is gearing up to begin issuing enhanced driver's licenses, which will allow holders to cross the United States-Canada border without a passport or other supporting documents.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"The first few are to be issued next month to VIPs, and they'll become available to the general public early in 2009, according to Vermont Motor Vehicle Commissioner Bonnie Rutledge.

The new licenses cost $25 more than regular ones. Anyone applying will have to present extensive documentation to prove their identity and be interviewed by a motor vehicle employee. Unlike traditional ones, they're not going to be issued on the spot. Instead, they'll be mailed once the information has been verified."

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"The special licenses are being issued in anticipation of full implementation of the federal Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, scheduled for June 1, when travelers entering the U.S. by land or sea will need an enhanced driver's license, a passport or special passport card issued by the U.S. State Department."