FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 8, 2006
Granite State ID Coalition
Contact: Joel Winters
603-624-5635 info@granitestateid.com

The House and Senate Fiscal Committee voted 8-2 to accept a $3 million dollar grant to move the state forward with compliance with the Federal REAL ID Act, a de facto National ID Card system. Members of the Granite State ID Coalition called on Governor Lynch and members of the Executive Council to reject the $3 million dollars. "Accepting the $3,000,000 is like buying a pig in a poke," said Joel Winters, spokesman for the Coalition. "The standards for REAL ID will not be revealed until after the November elections, but our State Senators are pledging our future tax dollars to comply with whatever the Department of Homeland Security dictates."

The $3 million dollar grant works out to about $2.50 per New Hampshire resident, or about the cost of a Big Mac. In exchange, drivers will no longer be allowed to use a middle initial on their license, victims of stalkers or domestic violence will be prohibited from displaying a mailing address to protect their security, identity theft victims must share their digital photo and Social Security number with a nationwide network of databases, and immigrants unable to meet the increased paperwork requirements will be issued a lower class licence that is visibly different from a REAL ID card.

These are only some of the requirements listed in the REAL ID Act. The Department of Homeland Security is also given authority to expand the list of places that Americans must present their REAL ID Card, as well as define other standards for the REAL ID card. Later this year, DHS is expected to reveal some of the new standards, which may include an RFID computer chip embedded in driver's licenses.

Earlier this year, the New Hampshire House overwhelmingly passed HB1582, which stated that New Hampshire would not comply with the REAL ID system. Governor Lynch promised to sign it, but a group of Republicans gutted the bill in the Senate Chamber. This bill was supported by the Union Leader, the Nashua Telegraph, and the Concord Monitor. Estimates on the cost of implementation in New Hampshire average $30-$40 million, and it is estimated that the cost of a driver's license could go as high as $90. Should New Hampshire choose to embrace the REAL ID Act in 2008, Granite Staters still won't be able to visit Canada with their new ID cards. For that, they will need a passport.

The Granite State ID Coalition was formed from a wide variety of New Hampshire citizen's groups in April to support HB1582, and to fight REAL ID in New Hampshire. Their website is http://www.GraniteStateID.com

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