Driver’s license plan in jeopardy

Wednesday, July 20, 2005 | 9:30 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- A drive by Nevada officials to encourage motorists to renew their driver's licenses outside offices of the state Department of Motor Vehicles could be in jeopardy.

A new federal law that is part of an anti-terrorism package and goes into effect in 2008 would require people to present birth certificates and Social Security cards when they get the initial license or renewal, DMV public information officer Tom Jacobs said.

At the National Governors Conference in Des Moines, Iowa, governors complained that the law would cost millions of dollars and result in long lines at DMV offices. And it would drive up the cost of a driver's license, governors said.

"We would have to make a lot of changes," Gov. Kenny Guinn said Tuesday. "We would maybe be a little better off than the other states because we into a great deal of more technology."

Calling the plan a nonfunded mandate from the federal government, he said, "It would be more work, more effort and more costly."

The Nevada DMV has pushed to have drivers renew their licenses by mail, Internet or at kiosks. The federal law, Jacobs said "would knock out all of these alternate services."

Jacobs said there is no estimate of the increased cost, but it would require the purchase of scanners for every window in the department to verify documents and may mean more employees to handle the on-site business.

The department is going to adopt a plan to present to the 2007 Legislature on what it will take to comply with the new law.

The department would have to verify the birth certificate and the Social Security documents. Jacobs said currently there is no method to verify the birth documents.

To cut down on long lines that have plagued DMV offices for many years, the department was allowed to hire more employees and it embarked on an aggressive program to entice people to use the alternative methods.

Now the waiting time statewide is less than one hour, Jacobs said.

"All the states are upset," Jacobs said, adding that some might sue the government on grounds it is an unfunded mandate. He said there is no talk in Nevada about a suit.

There may be $100 million set aside by the federal government to address the concerns, but that amount wouldn't cover the cost in some big states like California or New York, Jacobs said.

The federal law is called the REAL ID Act and is part of the push against terrorism. Jacobs said the intent is good to ensure there is stricter licensing of illegal immigrants.

Some states such as New Mexico, he said, are willing to license illegal immigrants, arguing that it makes their roads safer.

But Nevada is one of the toughest when it comes to licensing drivers. He said Nevada requires a birth certificate, Social Security card or a passport to show proof of identity at the first licensing.

But the new law, he said, would require those documents be shown when renewals are made. Nevada, he said, also does not accept a driver's license from another state as proof of citizenship. At the governor's conference, Gov. Ed Rendell of Pennsylvania called it a "huge problem" that would cost his state more than $100 million.

Gov. Mike Huckabee of Arkansas said the law will probably increase the costs of a driver's license by three or four times.

Federal officials said it would also help protect against identity theft.