Washington State ID bill passed and signed

After the September 11, 2011 terrorist attacks, the REAL ID Act of 2005 was made so state IDs could only be obtained by lawful citizens with proof of citizenship and their social security number. While Washington state has implemented the Enhanced Drivers License, regular non-enhanced licenses and state IDs are still available.

The Federal Government has granted Washington state an extension until June 6 of this year. All current IDs that are noncompliant with the REAL ID Act will be barred from federal use, such as boarding a plane or going on an army base.

Seeking to expand the current extension to October 2020, Washington lawmakers recently agreed on a two tiered licensing system, bringing Washington into compliance with the REAL ID Act.

The House passed the measure on a 55-41 vote, and the Senate passed it on a 36-13 vote. Thereafter, Gov. Jay Inslee proceeded to sign the bill on May 16, 2017. Officials will now seek review by the Federal Government to grant an additional extension beyond the current deadline of June 6.