Budgets and Revenue Committee Homepage

May 25, 2007

The Honorable David Obey Chairman Committee on Appropriations U.S. House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515

The Honorable Jerry Lewis Ranking Member Committee on Appropriations U.S. House of Representatives Washington, DC  20515

Re:  FY 2008 Funds for Implementation of the Real ID

Dear Chairman Obey and Representative Lewis:

The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) urges you to include at least $1 billion for state start-up costs to implement the Real ID Act of 2005 in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2008 appropriations bill for the Department of Homeland Security.  It is critical that provision of these funds not result in a reduction to other state-federal homeland security grant programs.  

The Real ID requires states to implement new federal standards for the issuance of driver’s licenses (DL) and identification cards (ID) by May 2008, or the federal government will not recognize the state’s DL/ID for federal purposes.  Federal funds must be provided immediately for successful implementation of the Real ID.  A comprehensive survey conducted by NCSL, the National Governors Association and the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administration estimates implementation costs of $11 billion over five years. DHS concluded state implementation costs could be $10 billion to $14 billion over 10 years. The Real ID would impose an enormous unfunded mandate unless Congress acts.

The FY 2008 federal appropriations process will not be completed until most state legislatures have adjourned for the year.  At least 40 state legislatures will already have completed their regular 2007 legislative session by July 1, and five of those states are not scheduled to meet again until FY 2009.  It is critical that Congress demonstrate its commitment to the states to share the responsibility of implementing this federal mandate.

We appreciate your consideration of our request and are willing to work closely with you to address our concerns regarding funding for state and federal implementation of the Real ID. For additional assistance and information, please have your staff contact Molly Ramsdell (202-624-3584; molly.ramsdell@ncsl.org) or Jeremy Meadows (202-624-8664; jeremy.meadows@ncsl.org) in NCSL’s Washington, D.C. office.

Respectfully, Senator Emmett Hanger, Jr. Virginia General Assembly Chair, NCSL Budgets and Revenue Committee Senator Bruce Starr Oregon Legislative Assembly Chair, NCSL Transportation Committee Delegate John Doyle West Virginia Legislature Immediate Past Chair, NCSL Budgets and Revenue Committee