REAL ID is for real: the federal government has begun to phase in enforcement of standards on state-issued driver's licenses.

• Author: Ramsdell, Molly
• Position: FEDERAL LAW

More than 12 years after 9/11 and nine years after the REAL ID Act passed, the federal government released a plan on when and how it will phase in enforcement. The law affects all 56 U.S. licensing jurisdictions and more than 240 million individuals who are applying for or renewing their state-issued driver's licenses and identification cards.

Congress enacted REAL ID in 2005 in response to recommendations from the 9/11 commission. It creates standards for state-issued driver's licenses and identification cards when used for specific federal purposes defined in the law, which includes boarding commercial aircraft and entering certain federal facilities.

Supporters say it will increase the country's security. Yet, opposition to the law has been strong. At least 17 states have enacted laws opposing it, claiming it was a federal intrusion into a state process, a threat to privacy and woefully underfunded. Its estimated price tag to the states is $3.9 billion over 11 years; but to date, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has awarded only $263 million in grants "to improve the security of state identification credentials."

The plan includes a three-month warning or notification period during each phase before enforcement of ID standards begins. Phase 1 covers only the restricted areas of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security headquarters. Beginning April 21, people from noncompliant states will no longer be able to use their driver's licenses to enter those areas. They will have to use other federally acceptable forms of ID, such as passports.

Phase 2 will add restricted areas in all other federal facilities and nuclear power plants. Its warning period begins April 21, with full enforcement beginning on July 21.

Phase 3 includes all the semi-restricted areas in federal facilities. Full enforcement will begin at these places on Jan. 19, 2015.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security will evaluate the first three phases to determine how best to enforce the law when it comes to boarding a commercial aircraft. Enforcement of this phase will begin no sooner than 2016.

The Basics

REAL ID requires identification cards to contain the following elements in a common readable format.

* Full legal name

* Signature

* Date of birth

* Gender

* Unique, identifying number

* Address of principal residence

* Front-facing photograph of the applicant

* Specific security features

Applicants must provide documentation of these elements.

* Name

* Address of...