CNN - Homeland Security chief seeks to repeal Real ID Act

From my archive


CNN

Homeland Security chief seeks to repeal Real ID Act

April 22, 2009 -- Updated 0308 GMT (1108 HKT)



WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A post-9/11 law that sets federal standards for state driver's licenses and identification cards is under fire from the head of the agency enforcing that law, the Department of Homeland Security.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"The law, which requires all states to enforce specific identification requirements for driver's licenses and identification cards, went into effect last year, but the federal government has given states until the end of this year to implement it. States can get extensions until May 2011 for implementation if they meet certain benchmarks."

TPC - New passports might transmit your data

From my archive of press clippings:

The Pueblo Chieftain

New passports might transmit your data

Published: July 08, 2009 02:56 pm

To protect against skimming and eavesdropping attacks, federal and state officials recommend that Americans keep their e-passports tightly shut and store their RFID-tagged passport cards and enhanced driver's licenses in "radio-opaque" sleeves.

Read the whole article here.

TDJ - Tips for US-Canadian border travelers during summer holidays

From my archive of press clippings:

The Daily Journal

Tips for US-Canadian border travelers during summer holidays


Submitted by Journal Staff on July 1, 2009 - 9:51am.

Steps travelers can employ to cross the border more efficiently

CBP Staff Report

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is reminding both Americans and Canadians planning their holiday travel for Canada Day, Fourth of July and summer vacation season that there are a number of steps they can employ to cross the border more efficiently.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative was implemented on June 1 and requires U.S. and Canadian citizens age 16 and older to present a valid, acceptable document that denotes both identity and citizenship when entering the U.S. by land or sea. WHTI acceptable documents include a passport, U. S. passport card, enhanced driver’s licenses (EDLs) — now produced by the State of Washington and Providence of British Columbia — or a Trusted Traveler Program card (NEXUS, SENTRI and FAST). For more information, visit www.GetYouHome.gov. "

TCP - Ontario opens applications for enhanced driver's licence to cross U.S. border

The Canadian Press

Ontario opens applications for enhanced driver's licence to cross U.S. border

1 day ago


TORONTO — Ontario residents can now apply for an enhanced driver's licence to use instead of a passport when crossing into the United States, Transportation Minister Jim Bradley announced Tuesday, even though the new documents won't be ready for weeks.



Read the whole article here.


Snippet(s):

"The U.S. will require passports or other secure identification documents for anyone crossing into the country by land or sea starting June 1, while a passport will still be required to enter the U.S. by air."


"Ontario promised to have its enhanced driver's licences ready last winter, not mere weeks before the new border rules go into effect, said Progressive Conservative critic John O'Toole."


"The Opposition complained the government's slow delivery of the enhanced licences poses a threat to the economy."


"(I)t took time to satisfy all the security and privacy concerns in both countries before details could be agreed on."


"The enhanced Ontario driver's licence will cost an extra $40 over the usual $75 fee, which critics point out makes it more expensive than a Canadian passport, which costs $87."

&

"British Columbia and Manitoba are also planning to introduce enhanced driver's licences as a passport alternative.


Alberta, Saskatchewan and New Brunswick have all rejected the idea, either because the enhanced licences were too costly, or because there wasn't enough public interest."

TTN - OUR VIEW: Passport office needed in Western New York

The Tonawanda News

OUR VIEW: Passport office needed in Western New York


Published: April 22, 2009 01:31 am

you’ve been putting it off, the time is now to get a passport.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"The next phase of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative is set to go into effect on June 1. That gives you a little over a month to get a passport or enhanced license if you plan to travel to Canada starting in June.

To make for a smoother transition in getting a passport, Congressmen Chris Lee and Brian Higgins are urging Washington lawmakers to open a passport office in Western New York."

TCP - Canadians ready for U.S. passport requirement, but Americans not so: Harper

From my archive of press clippings:

The Canadian Press.

Canadians ready for U.S. passport requirement, but Americans not so: Harper


4 days ago

POINT EDWARD, Ont. — Canadians are well-prepared for a new rule in June requiring passports at land crossings into the United States, but Americans may not be quite so ready, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Friday.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"Washington has been implementing the passport requirement for all travellers entering the U.S. over the past several years. The move was designed to enhance the country's border security in light of the 9-11 terrorist attacks.

Starting in June, all travellers crossing into the United States by land or sea, including American citizens, will need a passport or an acceptable alternative - such as a high-tech driver's licence."

GFH - North Dakota to use federal passport alternative for border crossings

Grand Forks Herald



North Dakota to use federal passport alternative for border crossings

Published March 05 2009


North Dakotans traveling to Canada and Mexico after June 1 will have a less expensive option than a passport to ease Canadian border crossings. The state had been looking to issue its own enhanced driver's license, but instead opted for the U.S. State Department-issued passport cards, or "passcards" that are available now.

By: Kevin Bonham, Grand Forks Herald

North Dakotans traveling to Canada and Mexico after June 1 will have a less expensive option than a passport to ease Canadian border crossings.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"The state had been looking to issue its own enhanced driver's license, but instead opted for the U.S. State Department-issued passport cards, or "passcards" that are available now.
They cost $45 for adults, compared with $100 for passports. And they fit in a wallet, just like a driver’s license."

"(T)he provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Ontario have developed an enhanced identification card that meets U.S. federal guidelines."

"The U.S. passport card differs from a passport in that it easily fits into a wallet and may be used as a border crossing document when returning from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean or Bermuda by land or sea.

But residents traveling by air must use a passport."

&

"A passport costs $100 for those 16 and older and $85 for those younger (renewals are less).

A passcard costs $45 for those 16 and older ($25 if you have a passport) and $35 for those younger.

The passcard is valid for 10 years for those 16 and older and valid for 5 years for those younger."

PJ - Western Hemisphere visits will soon require a passport

Poughkeepsie Journal

Western Hemisphere visits will soon require a passport


By Brad Kendall • March 3, 2009


In three months, on June 1, the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative goes into effect.


The U.S. Customs and Border Protection Service program will affect those Americans entering the United States by land or sea from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda. (Those entering by air are required to use a U.S. Passport now and in the future.)

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"Currently, Americans crossing these borders can do so using photo identification and proof of U.S. citizenship such as a birth certificate. After June 1, Americans crossing these borders will be required to use either a U.S. passport, a U.S. passport card, a New York state enhanced driver's license, or an enhanced photo identification card."

&

"The New York state enhan-ced driver's license, the en-hanced non-driver's ID card or an enhanced learner's permit are valid for land and sea crossings from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda. These are not valid for international air travel. To upgrade a valid license, permit or non-driver ID, the cost is $40. If you upgrade your document at time of renewal, there is an additional $30 fee on top of the license or ID fee."

USA-T - More border states plan to ease travel with enhanced licenses

From my archive of press clippings:

USA Today

More border states plan to ease travel with enhanced licenses

By Paul Sancya, AP

Customs officer Nick Ligerakis hands back a Michigan drivers license and information pamphlet to a driver coming from Canada to Detroit this January. Several border states are working to issue enhanced drivers' licenses that would allow people to enter and leave the U.S. with ease and without other identification.

Read the whole article here.

NEWSDAY.COM - Enhanced DMV license available after Labor Day

From my archive of press clippings:

NewsDay.Com

Enhanced DMV license available after Labor Day

BY JAMES T. MADORE james.madore@newsday.com

May 28, 2008

ALBANY - After Labor Day, vacationers on cruise ships to the Caribbean and motorists to Canada will be able to apply for a new driver's license that meets tougher federal identification requirements to re-enter the United States, beginning in June 2009. Officials said yesterday that New York would be only the second state in the country, after Washington, to roll out an Enhanced Driver License that doubles as a passport book but costs $20 less. The new license can be obtained only by residents with proof of U.S. citizenship, and it isn't valid for entry to the country by airplane.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"The enhanced license was first raised last fall by then-Gov. Eliot Spitzer as part of a larger plan to offer regular driver's licenses to illegal immigrants in an attempt to reduce traffic accidents and better track residents.

The illegal-immigrant component sparked a firestorm, forcing Spitzer to drop it in November."

&

"Under the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, residents will have to show a passport or other valid identification, such as the enhanced license, to enter the United States from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean or Bermuda via land or sea.

The new license, costing $80, will resemble the current one but will include an American flag on the front and have a radio-frequency identification chip allowing border guards to access necessary information. The fee for renewing a driver's license would remain $50."

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."

&

"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."