La. House Refuses REAL ID Licenses, Supports Separate ID Cards
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — House lawmakers have refused to allow Louisiana to issue driver's licenses that comply with the federal REAL ID law. But they did agree to let people pay for a special state-issued identification card compliant with the federal act.
The House-approved proposal contrasts with the approach backed by the Senate.
Senators voted two weeks ago to let drivers choose whether they want a REAL ID-compliant license or not.
The competing bill passed Wednesday by the House would continue the ban on REAL ID compliance for licenses, but allow people to get a separate ID card that complies with the federal act. Louisiana residents would have to pay a fee to get the second card.
Without REAL ID compliance, Louisiana residents could need a passport to board domestic flights starting in 2018.
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