I have mixed feelings about this.
I can see where D.C. could require a federal ID for voting in federal elections. If states want to allow illegals to vote in local elections, that would be under the state’s jurisdiction.
The Senate took another step Tuesday toward bringing Washington into compliance with federal identification requirements, passing a measure that would create a two-tiered licensing system.
The bill was approved by the Republican-led chamber with a 45-4 bipartisan vote and now heads to the Democratic-controlled House for consideration.
Republican Sen. Curtis King, the sponsor of the measure, called it a reasonable bill that allows the state to comply with the federal law “and protect the interests of all of us in the state of Washington.”
For years, lawmakers have struggled on how best to comply with the REAL ID Act, a 2005 federal law that requires state driver’s licenses and ID cards to have security enhancements and be issued to people who can prove they are legally in the United States.
Washington is among just a handful of states that are not compliant with the law and don’t have an extension from the federal government, meaning that starting in January 2018, holders of Washington licenses and ID cards will be required to show additional documentation for domestic air travel unless the Legislature acts.
The state already offers, but does not mandate, enhanced driver’s licenses and IDs that require proof of U.S. citizenship and are already valid under the federal law.
The measure being considered by Washington lawmakers would keep the current enhanced license and would mark standard state licenses as not valid for federal purposes. An amendment that was approved on the Senate floor Tuesday lowers the price of the enhanced license to $66 for a five-year license. The current price of an enhanced license is $108.