By Greg Bishop/Illinois Radio Network
SPRINGFIELD – Regardless of the federal government giving Illinois two more years to comply with REAL ID, the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois wants the whole law scrapped.
Supporters of the national ID standards say it will keep people safe but Ed Yohnka with the ACLU of Illinois questioned if that’s just an illusion.
“You still have several of the most populous state, including Illinois and California and New York, that are not REAL ID compliant,” said Yohnka, “and really it’s time for the federal government to let go of this pipe dream and move on from there.”
One thing that is clear is the increased burden of obtaining REAL ID. Yohnka says people would have to make multiple trips to get an ID and it could cost the individual up to $150, something that would impact people of lower economic status.
“Does this make the difference for some families whether or not they’re gonna have a child be able to get a driver’s license when they become of age,” said Yohnka, “or do you have to chose between renewing your driver’s license and eating lunch for a week.”
The Illinois Secretary of State’s office couldn’t say what the individual cost would be but estimates the cost to taxpayers would be $60 million over several years.
The federal government gave Illinois until January 2018 to comply with REAL ID.
