The federal government has granted Minnesota an extension through October 10th, 2018 to implement its new REAL ID system, temporarily easing concern that citizens would not be able to board commercial flights with their existing drivers licenses after January 22nd of next year. But there’s still a complication, in the form of continuing trouble the state has been having issuing current drivers licenses, vehicle tabs and titles because of new software. Governor Mark Dayton indicates with REAL-ID licenses, the state could well do a phased rollout. “That’s something definitely we’ll look at for REAL ID,” he says, “as a way of trying to smooth that transition.” Republican Representative Dennis Smith responds a rollout is fine, but if the state delays too long, “Eventually the federal government is going to say, enough’s enough, and they will not allow our citizens to board airplanes,… to be on military bases and federal buildings as well.”
Dayton says about current problems with issuing drivers licenses, tabs and titles because of new software, “I’m not saying there haven’t been some serious snafus. There have been, but 99-point-whatever percent of those transactions have been handled smoothly.”
Here are Gov. Dayton’s comments from his Tuesday press conference on problems with the new state software for issuing drivers licenses, vehicle tabs and titles, plus comments on REAL ID:
Rep. Smith’s comments on the situation: