Published September 5, 2002
WASHINGTON (AP) - Almost half the states have tightened procedures since Sept. 11 for issuing driver's licenses, but both state and federal officials say more is needed to keep terrorists from getting the popular form of identification.
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Following the terrorist attacks, 21 states have enacted new laws to make it harder to get licenses, and legislation has been introduced in an additional 22 states, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
The laws are designed to allow states to better check the backgrounds of applicants, and to make it harder to counterfeit licenses.
"Since September 11, individual states have acted aggressively to close loopholes in state laws that allowed terrorists to receive driver's licenses," said Kentucky state Rep. Mike Weaver.
Weaver testified yesterday before the House Transportation highways subcommittee, which is looking at whether to enact federal requirements for state driver's licenses.
"What we now consider important to determine about a person before they are considered eligible for a license has changed," said subcommittee chairman Tom Petri (R-Wis.).
"We are now more concerned about the immigration status of the applicant, and whether they might be on a terrorist watch list at the FBI or CIA."
Legislation has been introduced in both houses of Congress to set standards for driver's licenses, but state officials objected to a major federal role in what has traditionally been a state responsibility.
"We don't need to federalize driver's licenses, a move that many view as the onramp to the national ID highway," Weaver said.
At least four of the 19 hijackers on Sept. 11 held Virginia driver's licenses.
One man pleaded guilty last December to charges that he falsely certified that two of the hijackers were Virginia residents.
The state Motor Vehicles Department changed its procedures within days of the Sept. 11 attacks, no longer accepting sworn affidavits from individuals as proof of residency.
In addition, a new state law requires the department to develop procedures to check non-citizen applicants for driver's licenses with federal law enforcement agencies.
In Kentucky, foreign nationals with temporary visas now must first visit one of 12 offices with specially trained employees to check their backgrounds before they can then obtain driver's licenses.
Officials at the hearing called for a summit of representatives of all 50 states to develop a uniform system for issuing licenses and preventing fraud.
