ALABAMA (WHNT) — Several members of Alabama’s Congress have sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to extend the STAR ID enforcement deadline.
Rep. Shomari Figures, Rep. Ro Khanna, Rep. Terri A. Sewell, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson, Rep. Rashida Tlaib and Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove all signed a formal request on May 2 for the Secretary of Homeland Security to extend the REAL ID (known as STAR ID in Alabama) enforcement date.
The enforcement date, as it stands now, is May 7.
The members of Alabama’s Congress are requesting a six-month delay in the enforcement deadline, stating that DMVs are struggling and staffing is constrained, lines are astronomically long and appointments are limited.
“These difficulties are compounded by the cost burdens facing working families, many of whom cannot afford to take time off work or travel long distances to complete the required in-person process,” the letter says.
The members say that in addition to these constraints on getting the REAL ID, DMVs have limited capacity systems that pose a “disproportionate barrier for elderly individuals, people with disabilities and those without consistent access to transportation.”
Without leniency, the members say that not allowing an enforcement extension puts strain on airport security.
“With the summer travel season approaching, TSA is already preparing for record passenger volumes, with projections exceeding pre-pandemic levels. Imposing the May 7 REAL ID deadline during this peak travel period threatens to further strain an already overextended system. Without flexibility, we risk creating longer lines at security checkpoints, avoidable delays at airports, and considerable confusion among travelers, many of whom may be unaware that their licenses will no longer meet federal identification requirements for boarding flights,” the letter says.
Given all these reasons, the enforcement is requested to be extended until November 7. This would then give state and local agencies time to catch up with demand and help TSA prepare for a smoother implementation process.
You can read the full letter Rep. Figures and other members sent to DHS below.
Other questions associated with the STAR or REAL ID include: How much does it cost, and Can I get my STAR ID online?
“The fee for a STAR ID is $36.25, the same as for a regular Alabama driver’s license or non-driver ID card. If citizens choose to wait and obtain their STAR ID at the same time they are renewing their regular license, there is no additional fee from the standard $36.25 renewal fee,” The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said.
The Better Business Bureau of North Alabama is warning people against scammers offering an easy “order online option.”
“It is federally required that you show up in person to get a star ID, and that comes back to just simply so we can identify, we can lay hands on those documents and we can scan them in and so we can certify them,” ALEA Trooper Brandon Bailey said.
ALEA’s website has all the required documents to get your Star ID, including where you can make an appointment. You can click here to go to the ALEA website.
What if I can’t get my REAL ID before the enforcement deadline?
If you cannot get your REAL (STAR) ID in time for the May 7 deadline, given that the Alabama extension isn’t granted, make sure to have another TSA-approved form of identification if you choose to fly domestically.
TSA lists several options on its website, including:
- U.S. passport or passport card
- Foreign government-issued passport
- Veteran Health Identification Card
- DHS trusted traveler cards
- Department of Defense ID (including those issued to dependents)
- Permanent resident card
- and several other options
If this extension is granted, it would not be the first time the Department of Homeland Security offered this for the REAL ID. The REAL ID Act was passed by Congress in 2005 following the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001. At the time, the 9/11 Commission found that it was too easy for people to obtain driver’s licenses.
This being said, the law was scheduled to be enforced in 2008, but because some states were not compliant with it, the deadline was pushed back until 2021.
Following the global COVID-19 pandemic, DHS said all 50 states and four territories became more compliant with the rule. Because of this, the deadline was extended to 2023.
“Many state licensing agencies have extended the deadline for renewing expiring licenses due to a widespread shift to appointment-only scheduling protocols during the pandemic that has significantly limited states’ capacity to issue REAL ID-compliant driver’s licenses and identification cards. As a result, only 43% of all state-issued driver’s licenses and identification cards are currently REAL ID-compliant. DHS and various states also need time to implement requirements mandated by the REAL ID Modernization Act, including changes that will streamline processing by allowing the electronic submission of certain documents,” DHS said.
“As our country continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, extending the REAL ID full enforcement deadline will give states needed time to reopen their driver’s licensing operations and ensure their residents can obtain a REAL ID-compliant license or identification card,” DHS Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas said.
Then again, on December 5, 2022, DHS announced that it would extend the original enforcement deadline from May 3, 2023, to May 7, 2025. This extension came due to the lingering effects of the pandemic.
“The extension is necessary, in part, to address the lingering impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the ability to obtain a REAL ID driver’s license or identification card. REAL ID progress over the past two years has been significantly hindered by state driver’s licensing agencies having to work through the backlogs created by the pandemic. Many of these agencies took various steps in response to the pandemic, including automatically extending the expiration dates of driver’s licenses and identification cards and shifting operations to appointment only.”
DHS
To learn more about the REAL ID and its history, you can visit the DHS website here. For more information on the Alabama STAR ID and how to obtain one, visit ALEA’s website here.
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