State making changes to I.D. for La. travelers

Louisiana residents with upcoming air travel plans have no worries as the Office of Motor Vehicles (OMV) received word from the Feds that Louisiana I.D. credentials will be accepted for airport security screening purposes.

As anticipated, OMV has received confirmation from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that Louisiana issued credentials will be accepted for air travel. OMV fully intends to continue to make necessary changes to the security of Louisiana credentials as required by DHS to ensure Louisiana citizens can use their state issued credentials for federal purposes. Some of these changes will include a newly designed format of the Louisiana driver licenses and identification cards.

OMV Commissioner Stephen Campbell stated, “In addition to offering enhanced security and fraud prevention, next year’s new and improved driver license and identification card design will be a document Louisiana citizens can be proud to present.”

“We are grateful that DHS has recognized the great lengths that we have gone through to ensure the security of Louisiana’s driver’s license and identification program and we will continue to work with our Federal partners in this endeavor,” Department of Public Safety Deputy Secretary Colonel Mike Edmonson stated.

The REAL ID Act, passed by Congress in 2005 enacts the 9/11 Commission’s recommendation that the Federal Government “set standards for the issuance of sources of identification, such as driver’s licenses.” The Act establishes minimum security standards for license issuance and production and prohibits Federal agencies from accepting for official purposes those documents issued by a state unless DHS determines that the state meets the minimum standards.

Official purposes, as defined in statute and regulation, are accessing a Federal facility, boarding federally-regulated commercial aircraft, and entering nuclear power plants. DHS has twice modified the statutory deadline in order to allow states more time to meet the statutory requirements of the Act in a period of declining state revenues.

For more information, DHS has posted frequently asked questions on its website at http://www.dhs.gov/secure-drivers-licenses.

Short URL: http://www.jenningsdailynews.net/?p=16307

Posted by Graphic Designer 2 on Dec 26 2012. Filed under Editorial. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.