California "SB 60"

A proposed state law in California, SB 60, attempts to comply with realID and also provide drivers's licenses for those who cannot get a realID card. Proponents of the law feel they have successfully covered all bases, but have they? The SDHS has not yet stated the RealID regulations that states will have to follow. An editorial at SacBee.com attacks this fuzzy issue:

Sen. Gil Cedillo, D-Los Angeles, and Democratic lawmakers who supported his immigrant driver's license bill are in deep and dangerous denial. Apparently they missed how Congress preempted states on this issue. ...

Cedillo claims his measure conforms with the Real ID Act. He cannot know that. The regulations aren't expected to be issued for another year. So, SB 60 would require California to redesign its driver's licenses to comply with a federal law that has no regulations yet for implementing it. The California Department of Motor Vehicles opposed SB 60 for that reason. As the DMV wrote to Cedillo, "It would be premature at this juncture to enact California law that directs this department to initiate a secondary license procedure until the (federal) rule-making process is concluded."

What a minute, that's the REAL story! If regulations properly defining RealID are not issued for a year, states will have about 18 months to design the very comlex computer systems, work environments and jobs to support RealID.

No! Way!