[Note "tough physical security requirements to reduce
counterfeiting..." More biometrics, perhaps? I haven't seen the text
yet, though. --Declan]
U.S. House of Representatives
Committee on the Judiciary
F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr., Chairman
_______________________________________
<www.house.gov/judiciary
News Advisory
For immediate release Contact: Jeff
Lungren/Terry Shawn
January 26, 2004
202-225-2492
Sensenbrenner Introduces Terrorist
Travel Legislation
Real ID Act Includes Provisions Dropped from 9/11 Legislation
WASHINGTON, D.C. - House Judiciary Committee Chairman F. James
Sensenbrenner, Jr. (R-Wis.) today introduced legislation, the Real ID
Act, containing terrorist travel provisions that were dropped from
legislation enacted last month that addresses the work of the 9/11
Commission.
Chairman Sensenbrenner stated, "The goal of the Real ID Act is
straightforward: it seeks to prevent another 9/11-type attack by
disrupting terrorist travel. First, this legislation does not try to
set state policy for who may or may not drive a car, but it does
address the use of a driver's license as a form of identification to a
federal official. American citizens have the right to know who is in
their country, that people are who they say they are, and that the
name on a driver's license is the holder's real name, not some alias.
"The 9/11 hijackers could have used their passports to board the
planes, but only one did. Why? Those murderers chose our driver's
licenses and state ID's as their forms of identification because these
documents allowed them to blend in and not raise suspicion or
concern. Mohammed Atta received a 6-month visa to stay in the
U.S. yet received a Florida driver's license good for 6 years!
"The Real ID Act will end this by establishing a uniform rule for all
states that temporary driver's licenses for foreign visitors expire
when their visa terms expire, and establishing tough rules for
confirming identity before temporary driver's licenses are issued.
"The Real ID Act tightens our asylum system that has been abused by
terrorists with deadly consequences. It will finish the 3-mile hole
in the fortified U.S./Mexico fence near San Diego. And it will
protect the American people by ensuring that all terrorism-related
grounds for inadmissability are also grounds for deportation.
"I believe these common-sense provisions that enjoy such strong
support among House Members and the American people will receive
similar levels of support from the Senate and White House.
Consequently, I have resisted requests to load-up the Real ID Act with
other provisions so that it will be ready for inclusion in the first
must-pass legislation this year and can be enacted in the next few
months."
The Real ID Act has 115 cosponsors including House Chief Deputy
Majority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.), House Rules Committee Chairman
David Dreier (R-Calif.), House Armed Services Committee Chairman
Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.), House International Relations Chairman Henry
Hyde (R-Ill.), House Intelligence Committee Chairman Pete Hoekstra
(R-Mich.), House Judiciary Immigration, Border Security, and Claims
Subcommittee Chairman John Hostettler (R-Ind.), House Homeland
Security Committee Chairman Chris Cox (R-Calif.), House Government
Reform Committee Chairman Tom Davis (R-Va.), and others.
Highlights of Real ID:
* Strong security standards for the issuance of drivers' licenses
- proof of lawful presence in the U.S.
- all states must comply, to eliminate weak
links in domestic identity security
- tough physical security requirements to reduce
counterfeiting
- drivers' license expires when an alien's visa
expires
* Tighten asylum system abused by terrorists
- allow immigration judges to determine witness
credibility in asylum cases
* Closing the 3-Mile Hole in the fortified U.S./Mexico Border
Fence Near San Diego
* Inadmissability and Deportation of Terrorists - keep terrorists
out of U.S. by ensuring all terrorism-related grounds of
inadmissability are grounds for deportation
####
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