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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 3, 2017
Oklahoma Receives REAL ID Extension through June 2017
OKLAHOMA
CITY – Governor Mary Fallin along with legislative leaders today announced that
Oklahoma has received an extension through June 6, 2017, to meet the
requirements in the REAL ID Act. But the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
warned that failure for the state to act during the 2017 legislative session on legislation committing Oklahoma to
all the REAL ID requirements could result in the denial of future extension
requests.
Without
the extension, federal agencies later this month would have been prohibited
from accepting Oklahoma driver's licenses and identification cards, meaning
those without identification that complies with the REAL ID Act won't be able
to enter a federal building, military base or courthouse. REAL ID enforcement
for boarding commercial aircraft is scheduled to begin Jan. 22, 2018.
The
letter states that “for the duration of this extension, federal agencies
may accept Oklahoma-issued drivers’ licenses and identification cards for
official purposes in accordance with the phased enforcement schedule and
existing agency policies.”
“Although this is great news for
Oklahomans, this is only a temporary fix,” said Fallin. “While there will be no
restrictions on individuals using Oklahoma licenses to fly or access federal
buildings through June, legislation must be approved this session to make this
permanent. I will continue to work with legislators, the state Department of
Public Safety, Oklahoma’s congressional delegation and the U.S. Department of
Homeland Security to ensure a permanent solution is passed into law before this
extension expires in June.”
Identical
letters sent to Fallin and Senate President Pro Tempore Mike Schulz and House
Speaker Charles McCall state that DHS “recognizes Oklahoma’s efforts in
enhancing the security of its driver’s licenses and identification cards” and
granted the extension “indicating the plans of your administration and state
legislative leaders to move forward on a legislative solution and their expectation
that a vote will occur in the 2017 legislative session. This extension is
intended to provide Oklahoma with the opportunity to take any necessary steps needed
to meet all the requirements of the REAL ID Act and implementing regulation.”
“I’m pleased Oklahoma has
been granted an extension by the Department of Homeland Security,” Schulz said.
“DHS recognized Oklahoma’s sincere efforts to resolve issues in complying with
the federal REAL ID law. This is an important issue for the thousands of
Oklahomans whose livelihoods depend upon access to federal buildings and
military installations, and it is an issue of convenience in regards to airline
travel. There’s still more work to do to solve this issue permanently, but addressing
REAL ID compliance will remain a high priority when the Legislature convenes in
a few weeks.”
McCall said: “I am very pleased that the federal
government is giving us additional time to develop a legislative solution to
this issue. This extension will allow our citizens to continue to interact with
our federal entities without interruption. House Republicans are committed to a
solution that will bring Oklahoma into compliance with the Real ID Act while
also protecting the privacy and liberty of our citizens.”
Fallin, Schulz and McCall wrote a
letter last month to DHS requesting the extension.
Congress passed the REAL ID Act in 2005 to make driver's licenses harder to
forge. Oklahoma legislators in 2007 passed a bill forbidding the state from
meeting provisions of the act.
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