02/21/07 I.D. Issues

Identification Requirement issues. I'm Greg Martin with today's Fruit Grower Report. Thousands of farm workers in Oregon may end up losing their driving privileges as the state moves forward on identification requirements for driver's license applicants that could put farm workers and employers in a bind. Beginning May of 2008, the 2005 Real ID Act could require license applicants to provide proof of legal residence in the U.S. before issuing a driver's license along with a social security number or identification number issued by the US Department of Homeland Security. According to David House with the Oregon Department of Motor Vehicles, the goal of the Real ID Act is to tighten homeland security and help reduce identity theft. HOUSE: People often tie that to 9-11, but actually we've been at war with something else for much longer than that and that's I/D/ theft and fraud. Farm employers are being notified they may need to review the security of mail delivery in anticipation of driver's licenses being mailed. The federal government stated it will clamp down on states that don't implement the act by invalidating driver's licenses of residents from those states. Currently the centralized system is in place in California, Washington and 11 other states. House says they may see fewer applications. HOUSE: The procedure will take a little longer so that's one of the reasons it's really hard to estimate because there's no way to tell exactly how many people don't have legal residence in the country. That's today's Fruit Grower Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.