Maine Government News
Maine Rejects Real ID ActJanuary 25, 2007
Secretary of State
Joint resolution refutes plan for national identification cards
Contact: Don Cookson, 626-8404
Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap today praised Maine lawmakers for declaring their bi-partisan opposition to the federally mandated REAL ID Act. A joint resolution rejecting REAL ID earned passage through the Maine House and Senate today by an overall vote of 171 to 4. Click
here for more. 
update Maine overwhelmingly rejected federal requirements for national identification cards on Thursday, marking the first formal state opposition to controversial legislation scheduled to go in effect for Americans next year.
Both chambers of the Maine legislature approved a resolution saying the state flatly "refuses" to force its citizens to use driver's licenses that comply with digital ID standards, which were established under the 2005 Real ID Act. It asks the U.S. Congress to repeal the law.
The vote represents a political setback for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Republicans in Washington, D.C., which have argued that nationalized ID cards for all Americans would help in the fight against terrorists. Click
here more more.
Maine Says Will Opt-Out of De Facto National I.D. Law
Maine's legislature overwhelmingly passed a resolution refusing to implement the REAL ID Act which requires states to standardize their drivers licenses according to federal standards, saying the bill would cost the state $185 milllion, turns the state into an extension of the federal government, and would invade privacy. Click
here more more.
