Commentary: Federal officials warn that if New Mexico does not take steps to implement a system to create a REAL ID-compliant ID option for New Mexicans, state licenses may not be accepted to board airplanes or to enter some high-security federal facilities starting in 2016.
Governor Martinez insists that she’ll only support one fix to our license problem: repeal our current laws and replace them with a REAL ID license for everyone.
But a national study (read more) by a non-partisan policy group has a warning: If the governor gets her way, wait times for every New Mexican could “more than double” at the MVD when you go to renew your license.
That’s because everyone has to bring in new paperwork to allow MVD agents to “review and verify all required identification documents and re-document information for the new license including place of principal residence, new photographs and new signatures.”
Read the story of a Nevada couple who visited MVD several times, and had to purchase new documents from across the country after their birth certificates and military documents weren’t accepted. And read the story of a 78-year old Kansas woman who was turned away until she obtained and paid for a certified copy of her 35-year old marriage paperwork.
The fact is, for most New Mexicans, the licenses we have right now work just fine. We don’t need any extra security privileges to get to work or make a quick run to the grocery store.
That’s why Democrat and Republican leaders in the State Senate passed a REAL ID fix earlier this year that lets everyone keep the licenses we have and creates a REAL ID license for those who need access to high-security federal facilities and don’t already have other ID.