Today Senator Steve Daines was joined by Attorney General Tim Fox to announce his plan to reintroduce the a bill repealing “Real ID.”
The bill will work to protect Montanans from the Department of Homeland Security’s identification requirements.
Senator Daines says Montanans have made their opinion loud and clear about being opposed to “Real ID.” He says with the federal government having access to citizens private information, the risk increases of that information falling into the wrong hands.
Both Daines and Fox shared personal experiences in which their information was compromised when it became accessible to the U.S. government.
In 2007, the state legislature voted unanimously to keep ‘Real ID’ out of the state.
Daines says the main concerns posed by ‘Real ID’ are privacy and the standard being set by the U.S. Government.
“It will ensure that no states, including Montana, have to comply with federal intrusion and violation of privacy that would come from implementing REAL ID,” said Daines.
Daines says that Montana has shown it is best equipped to make identification secure without sacrificing citizens privacy.
Fox says Montana’s new driver licenses with advanced security features to reduce fraud and identity theft are coincidental with the introduction of this bill.
Senator Daines says he is still in the process of gaining sponsors. He plans to introduce the bill when he is back in Washington D.C. next week.
In addition, Representative Ryan Zinke is working on the companion bill that he will introduce on the house side.