Comment Of Sen. Patrick Leahy
On Release Of The Draft REAL ID Regulations
By The U.S. Department Of Homeland Security
March 1, 2007

"There are parallels in the troubled handling of both the REAL ID and WHTI programs.  For both of these programs, the Bush Administration has been slow to even admit serious flaws, let alone to fix them.  In the case of the WHTI border-crossing system, the Administration continues to pretend the reform path ordered by Congress was never enacted.  

"The new draft REAL ID regulations confirm the worst suspicions that this program will impose a massive unfunded mandate on state governments while raising innumerable civil liberties and privacy concerns. 

"It is ironic that we probably would have stronger drivers' licenses today if the original shared rulemaking procedures that Congress agreed to in 2004 had been allowed to move forward.   Instead of spending years ahead in court over the constitutionality of REAL ID, we would do better by taking a fresh look at the collaborative path Congress first intended in 2004." 

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