|
|
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
|
|
WHEREAS, On March 1, 2007, the United States Department of |
|
Homeland Security announced the federal guidelines for state |
|
implementation of the federal REAL ID Act of 2005; the regulations |
|
establish strict standards for the issuance of state driver's |
|
licenses and identification (ID) cards that must be implemented by |
|
December 2009; and |
|
WHEREAS, These standards require each state to verify the |
|
original documentation establishing the identity of an applicant, |
|
such as birth certificates and social security cards, cross-check |
|
the documents against federal databases, and reissue the license or |
|
ID card in a format that incorporates specific security features |
|
into the design; additionally, the rules set safety measures that |
|
must be followed with regard to the physical location where |
|
licenses and cards are issued; and |
|
WHEREAS, Cards that do not meet the federal standards will |
|
not be accepted as official federal identification anywhere in the |
|
United States or abroad, preventing the holder from boarding |
|
commercial flights, entering federal buildings, conducting |
|
business at certain financial institutions, and even applying for |
|
federal programs such as Medicare; and |
|
WHEREAS, A joint study released in September 2006 by the |
|
National Conference of State Legislatures, the National Governors |
|
Association, and the American Association of Motor Vehicle |
|
Administrators estimates the initial cost of implementing the REAL |
|
ID Act of 2005 to be more than $11 billion; according to the study, |
|
the most costly provisions in the act are those requiring driver's |
|
license and card holders to present original documents in person |
|
for reverification by the state motor vehicle department within |
|
five years, forcing states to hire additional employees, expand |
|
business hours, and even construct new facilities to meet the |
|
reenrollment deadline; and |
|
WHEREAS, Regretfully, in federal fiscal year 2006, congress |
|
appropriated a mere $40 million to support the states' |
|
implementation of the REAL ID Act, not sufficient to cover even |
|
Texas' needs; in fact, the Texas Department of Public Safety's |
|
projected cost to the state is $167.4 million for the first year of |
|
implementation and $101.3 million for each subsequent year of |
|
operation; the agency submitted a request for $268.7 million in the |
|
2008-2009 biennium for REAL ID-related expenditures, including 737 |
|
new full-time employees; and |
|
WHEREAS, Implementation of the REAL ID Act could cost Texas |
|
taxpayers more than $572 million over the next five years; |
|
considering this enormous expense and the meager congressional |
|
financial support for the endeavor, the requirements made by the |
|
REAL ID Act of 2005 constitute a virtual unfunded mandate on the |
|
State of Texas and, as such, a significant burden to the state's |
|
residents; now, therefore, be it |
|
RESOLVED, That the 80th Legislature of the State of Texas |
|
hereby oppose the federal REAL ID Act as an unfunded mandate; and, |
|
be it further |
|
RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official |
|
copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to |
|
the speaker of the house of representatives and the president of the |
|
senate of the United States Congress, and to all the members of the |
|
Texas delegation to the congress with the request that this |
|
resolution be officially entered in the Congressional Record as a |
|
memorial to the Congress of the United States of America. |