Senate Passes REAL ID Bill 35-11

The Senate passed HB1845, the REAL ID bill, with a vote of 35-11 after a lengthy debate Tuesday afternoon. It was already passed by the Oklahoma House on Feb. 16.

The bill will now be sent to Gov. Mary Fallin. 

Passed by congress in May 2005, the REAL ID Act sought to make state driver’s licenses more secure. But Oklahoma passed a law in 2007 refusing to comply. The state has since applied for and received multiple extensions.

Although the extension for REAL ID compliance at military bases and federal building is set for June 6, enforcement for boarding commercial jets remains scheduled to begin Jan. 22, 2018.

Oklahoma State Chamber President and CEO, Fed Morgan, issued the following statement on the passage of the REAL ID Bill:

The State Chamber is pleased that swift action was taken by our Legislature to resolve REAL ID. We would like to thank the local chambers of commerce, who are members of our Chamber Action Network (CAN), for their contributions in ensuring this important bill was passed. We look forward to seeing it on the governor’s desk for a final signature to establish it as law. This will bring our state into federal compliance and protect Oklahoma citizens from unnecessary costs and delays.

Gov. Mary Fallin also issued a statement following the passage of the REAL ID Bill:

I’m pleased to see the Legislature work so quickly on this important issue. We cannot burden Oklahomans with the additional cost and hassle of providing identification to gain entrance to federal buildings, military bases or federal courthouses. And most certainly we can’t let them down by forcing them to have additional identification in order to board a commercial airliner in January. I look forward to receiving this bill on my desk.