Congress Debating National Driver's License Rules

hamelis writes "The NYT [FRR: bugmenot]reporting on Congress' attempt to set national standards for issuing driver's licenses. The Secretary of Homeland Security could require licenses to contain fingerprints or retinal scans, and while states are not required to cooperate, if your license doesn't conform to federal standards, you can be denied "access to planes, trains and other modes of transportation." Additionally, the House version would require states to keep all license data in a linked database for quick access, and calls for "an integrated network of screening points that includes the nation's border security system, transportation system and critical infrastructure facilities." How is this functionally different from a national ID card?"

Comments

Re:The Sheep will gladly accept it

[Scarblac]

Some people might exclaim that it is a genuine attempt by the government to shed and protect the US public from terrorists and if everyone followed the rules, sure it would. Terrorists follow the rules? No chance in hell,

Also, let's repeat once again that all the 9/11 terrorists were travelling on perfectly valid, non-faked passports. This wouldn't have helped one bit.

Re:Why do all laws have to be about terrorists?

[anthony_dipierro]

The way I see it, this is a clear issue of states' rights.

The thing is, Supreme Court precedent is strongly against this point of view. The problem is that the government isn't directly mandating a federal ID, but rather refusing highway funding to those states who don't participate. It's the reason we have a drinking age of 21 in the US, and South Dakota v. Dole answered the question of whether or not it's Constitutional.

Frankly, with all the caving the Supreme Court has done over the last 200 years wrt states rights, we should just get it over with and abolish states rights altogether. Let the states exist like counties or incorporated cities, they basically already do.

Re:The Sheep will gladly accept it

[0x0d0a]

Hitler's police power grab after the wake of the Reichstag Fire to defend against terrorists included a lot of unnecessary powers as well. Funny, that.

One definite -- once you allow the federal government a power, they never release it -- they will have it forever.

already been done

[dangermouse]

Federal driver's license standards were actually enacted in 1997 (and set to go into effect in 2000), but in 1998 South Carolina successfully challenged the constitutionality of federal regulation of state drivers' licenses. It was different law, but the same principle, and in 1999 the Congress repealed the 1997 law.

More detail here, under the "Constitutional Issues" section. (References are given.)