A bill the Minnesota House passed Thursday night would bring Minnesota in compliance with federal REAL ID, ensuring residents could use drivers licenses to board airplanes when regulations tighten next year. But there’s a sticking point. Republicans want in state law that undocumented immigrants will not be issued drivers licenses. Democrats say that’s already in rules and a new law should be dealt with separately. One way either side could try to get their way is to drag things out until the federal deadline looms, hoping the other side blinks. If deadlock continued, Minnesotans couldn’t use their drivers licenses to board airplanes. House Speaker Kurt Daudt would not say whether that’s Republicans’ strategy, but says about a REAL ID bill, “We’re going to pass that this year. It’s gonna go to the governor’s desk and he is going to sign it. It is not going to include drivers license for undocumented Minnesotans.”
Here’s a key excerpt from the House floor debate with Minneapolis Democrat Carlos Mariani questioning the bill’s author, Maple Grove Republican Dennis Smith: