Idaho has gotten a one-year extension from complying with the federal REAL ID requirements, the Idaho Transportation Department announced Thursday.
The extension means Idaho-issued driver's licenses and identification cards will be accepted for federal purposes such as boarding an airplane or entering a military base until at least Oct. 10, 2016. This brings an end to the few days of limbo that started when Idaho's prior compliance extension expired Oct. 10.
ITD received a letter on Wednesday granting the extension.
The REAL ID, passed in 2005, tightened standards for state-issued driver's licenses. Idaho passed a law in 2008 banning the state from complying, objecting to the cost, and on grounds of civil liberties and states' rights. The state has been working with the federal government since then to get extensions.
ITD Chief Deputy Scott Stokes said in a statement Thursday that ITD is working with the Idaho Bureau of Homeland Security on security features for the state's IDs.
(c)2015 The Times-News (Twin Falls, Idaho)
