June 24, 2008
Maine gets $1M in Real ID funds
The Department of Homeland Security has awarded Maine a little more than $1 million as part of its Real ID Demonstration Grant Program, leaving critics of the program wondering if Maine plans to adopt the Real ID rule after all.
Anne Jordan, the state's public safety commissioner, filed the application for the federal grant at Gov. John Baldacci's request, the Bangor Daily News reported. What the grant specifically will be used for has not yet been determined, but it could fund the purchase of computer equipment and software that would allow the state to detect whether a person applying for a driver's license already has one under another name, according to the paper.
The governor has come under fire from Real ID critics like the Maine Civil Liberties Union, who say the grant goes against legislation passed in 2007 that prohibits Maine from participating in the Real ID act. Baldacci told the paper accepting the grant does not mean Maine must comply with the Real ID act, and that the grant will be used to strengthen Maine's driver license regulations. The Legislature earlier this year approved a measure to develop a more secure driver's license after the federal government threatened to stop accepting Maine licenses, according to the paper.
Anne Jordan, the state's public safety commissioner, filed the application for the federal grant at Gov. John Baldacci's request, the Bangor Daily News reported. What the grant specifically will be used for has not yet been determined, but it could fund the purchase of computer equipment and software that would allow the state to detect whether a person applying for a driver's license already has one under another name, according to the paper.
The governor has come under fire from Real ID critics like the Maine Civil Liberties Union, who say the grant goes against legislation passed in 2007 that prohibits Maine from participating in the Real ID act. Baldacci told the paper accepting the grant does not mean Maine must comply with the Real ID act, and that the grant will be used to strengthen Maine's driver license regulations. The Legislature earlier this year approved a measure to develop a more secure driver's license after the federal government threatened to stop accepting Maine licenses, according to the paper.
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