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Real ID: Coming to a State Near You?

By: Doug Gale

4/11/2008

While higher education is not in a position to set state policies, it should be prepared to outline how those policies impact research and instruction. This means that IT and security staff must become familiar with the technology being used and being proposed. For example, regardless of whether the data is stored centrally as originally proposed or in 50 state databases with a common portal, a fundamental question is who can access the data. Higher education is familiar with that problem and can provide valuable recommendations to the state agencies charged with implementing Real ID.

Where Are We Now?
One key element of the final regulations issued by DHS was the extension clause, which allowed states to request an extension. Otherwise states were required to be in compliance by May 11, 2008--an almost impossible task. The DNS agreed to grant an extension if a state was making substantial progress to compliance with the regulations and requested an extension by March 31 of this year.

Earlier this month the DNS decided to avoid a showdown over extensions with recalcitrant states. For example, my home state of Montana sent DHS a letter outlining the security features in Montana's Drivers' Licenses (quite good in fact) and stating that the state could not by statute implement the Real ID Act or request an extension. DHS responded that they were granting the state an extension until 2010 anyway. As of this writing, all 50 states have been granted an extension until 2010.

But the issues and concerns haven't gone away. This is an important and highly complex initiative with intelligent and well meaning people on all sides. The April 4, 2008 Christian Science Monitor summed things up nicely: "In any case, the federal government is deluding itself if it thinks that the extensions have solved this issue. It's far from settled."


Doug Gale is president of Information Technology Associates, LLC (www.it associates.org) an IT consultancy specializing in higher education. He has more than 30 years of experience in higher education as a faculty member, CIO, and research administrator.