Minnesota ID Upgrade Could Cost the State $5 Million

The state of Minnesota could soon be paying $5 million to make sure your state ID will let you fly.

The Real ID process came from the 9/11 commission back in 2005.

Since then, the Department of Homeland Security has been working with states across the country to make sure they will soon issue the Real ID Act.

If they don’t, Minnesotans won’t even be able to fly domestically and that’s pushing some lawmakers to act fast.
 
The state of Minnesota has long clashed with the federal government over the Real ID Act.

Senator Limmer led the effort in 2009 to ban complying with the law.
 
“They’re demanding we get in line and then we have front the bill. I think it’s incredible that the federal government is using this heavy club of threatening our people with airline travel in order to do what they want,” says Sen. Warren Limmer, (R) Minneapolis.
 
“In December, you’ll see an extensive campaign being set up at airport check points around the country to announce the requirements of what the Real ID process is,” says Hector International Airport Director, Shawn Dobberstein.
 
But Dobberstein says it’s up to the state legislators to make sure what exactly that procedure is.
 
“You and I can’t do that obviously. We are going to look to our elected officials to see that we are going to meet the homeland security requirements,” says Dobberstein.
 
Travelers will have until October of 2020 to get their upgraded IDs.
 
“There’s all sorts of things where this can go and this has not been thought out carefully and we certainly have at least two years to customize this a little bit more and push for privacy protection of our citizens,” says Sen. Limmer.
 
But for other legislators, they feel the sooner we figure this out, the better.
 
“We have to get these real ids in order I think it’s very important for all Minnesotans to be able to board commercial airliners, be able to access federal facilities, just like anybody else from any other state in the country,” says Representative Ben Lien, (DFL) Moorhead.
 
Senator Limmer says he would like to see the state of Minnesota offer people a choice, whether or not they would like the Real ID or not.

He says there will most likely be an additional fee every Minnesotan will have to pay when getting their new ID.