The Real ID Act hands the Department of Homeland Security the power to set these standards

(A photo of a test version of a National I.D. card used with foreign visitors to our Kingdom)

The "Real I.D." or "The Mark of the Beast"???

And they DID say the future was going to be interesting.
Let the Wild Ride begin....

Some interesting facets of the upcoming "Federal Identification Card."
Suffice to say that without the card, one will not be able to

1. Drive a car
2. Board a train , plane or bus
3. Enter any federal building
4. Hold a job
5. Open a bank account

What are some of the "Goodies" involved with this new I.D.??
Glad you asked....

Who will be in charge of issuing these cards and the information gathering that will be included on them?
The Real ID Act hands the Department of Homeland Security the power to set these standards and determine whether state drivers' licenses and other ID cards pass muster. Only ID cards approved by Homeland Security can be accepted "for any official purpose" by the feds.

What's going to be stored on this ID card?
At a minimum: name, birth date, sex, ID number, a digital photograph, address, and a "common machine-readable technology" that Homeland Security will decide on.
The card must also sport "physical security features designed to prevent tampering, counterfeiting, or duplication of the document for fraudulent purposes."

(Homeland Security is permitted to add additional requirements--such as a fingerprint or retinal scan--on top of those. We won't know for a while what these additional requirements will be.)

How will you get one of these cards?
You'll still get one through your state motor vehicle agency, and it will likely take the place of your drivers' license. But the identification process will be more rigorous.
For instance, you'll need to bring a "photo identity document," document your birth date and address, and show that your Social Security number is what you had claimed it to be. U.S. citizens will have to prove that status, and foreigners will have to show a valid visa.
State DMVs will have to verify that these identity documents are legitimate, digitize them and store them permanently. In addition, Social Security numbers must be verified with the Social Security Administration.



What does it mean for the U.S. Citizen?
Starting three years from now in 2008, if you live or work in the United States, you'll need a federally approved ID card to travel on an airplane, open a bank account, collect Social Security payments, or take advantage of nearly any government service.
Practically speaking, your driver's license likely will have to be reissued to meet federal standards.

How will the Cards be read and will the information be stored digitally?
The Real ID Act says federally accepted ID cards must be "machine readable," and lets Homeland Security determine the details. That could end up being a magnetic strip, enhanced bar code, or radio frequency identification (RFID) chips.
In the past, Homeland Security has indicated it likes the concept of RFID chips. The State Department is already going to be embedding RFID devices in passports, and Homeland Security wants to issue RFID-outfitted IDs to foreign visitors who enter the country at the Mexican and Canadian borders. The agency plans to start a yearlong test of the technology in July at checkpoints in Arizona, New York and Washington state.

Is it really a National I.D Card?
It depends on whom you ask. Barry Steinhardt, director of the American Civil Liberties Union's technology and liberty program, says: "It's going to result in everyone, from the 7-Eleven store to the bank and airlines, demanding to see the ID card. They're going to scan it in. They're going to have all the data on it from the front of the card...It's going to be not just a national ID card but a national database."
At the moment, state driver's licenses aren't easy for bars, banks, airlines and so on to swipe through card readers because they're not uniform; some may have barcodes but no magnetic stripes, for instance, and some may lack both. Steinhardt predicts the federalized IDs will be a gold mine for government agencies and marketers.
(Also, he notes that the Supreme Court ruled last year that police can demand to see ID from law-abiding U.S. citizens.)

When does this all take effect?
The Real ID Act takes effect "three years after the date of the enactment" of the legislation. So if the Senate and Bush give it the thumbs-up this month, its effective date would be sometime in May 2008.

The link below takes you to the original idea for the i.d. card that ultimately became "The Real ID act of 2005":
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:h.r.00418:

And a short version of the complete legislation as it ended up:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/F?c109:3:./temp/~c109s16God:e878:

Welcome to the 21st Century folks!