Homeland Security determines Georgia compliant with REAL ID
December 21, 2012
Gov. Nathan Deal today announced that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has confirmed that the state of Georgia has met its requirements for REAL ID. This week, DHS issued notice that 13 states have been deemed compliant under the REAL ID Act of 2005.
“While in Congress, I supported the REAL ID legislation, and as governor I had the opportunity to implement it here in Georgia,” said Deal. “Early implementation was necessary and the most efficient way to serve Georgia while following federal guidelines. The Georgia Department of Driver Services worked in a responsible manner to make certain the deadline for this requirement was met. As a result, Georgians are among the first Americans to receive this new, more-secure form of ID.”
Under the act, states are required to meet 18 security benchmarks with regard to state-issued driver’s licenses and identification cards by Jan. 15, 2013, in order to be used for official purposes, such as boarding an airplane or entering a federal building.
As of Nov. 29 of this year, DDS Commissioner Rob Mikell reported that over 603,196 Georgia drivers have been issued a Real ID compliant license or identification card since the program started. This number includes 394,604 under the age of 50; and 208,592 over the age of 50.