In just a few days, Kentucky residents could need two forms of identification in order to enter federal buildings due to the REAL ID Act of 2005.
Under the Act, tougher identification standards would go into effect for “restricted areas in all federal facilities and for nuclear plants. The law would require residents from several states to show a secondary form of identification to enter these areas.
The states affected include:
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- Minnesota
- Montana
- New York
- Oklahoma
- Washington State
The law goes into effect on July 21 unless an extension is provided; state officials have applied to the Department for Homeland Security for this extension.
The reason for the commotion? Kentucky licenses have yet to meet the new license security standards because the state doesn’t have a central agency that issues licenses. Although the licenses comply with REAL ID Act, the process for issuing them does not. New licenses will now have a gold star in the upper corner.
Residents will still be able to gain access to federal court houses, Social Security buildings and VA hospitals, according to the transportation cabinets interpretation of the Act. However, according to the Department of Homeland Security, residents would need a secondary ID to board a federal regulated commercial aircraft.