ALAWON: American Library Association Washington Office Newsline Volume 14, Number 47 April 28, 2005 In This Issue: CALL FOR NO DRIVER'S LICENSE PROVISION IN THE SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATION If your Senator or Representative is a conferee (see below) on the FY 2005 supplemental appropriations bill (HR 1268), please contact him or her and urge that Section 202 of the Real I.D. Act of 2005 (HR 418) be stripped out of the supplemental appropriations bill. The FY 2005 supplemental appropriations bill (HR 1268) contains the "REAL ID" Act (HR 418). ALA is opposed to Title II, Section 202 (Titled: "Minimum document requirements and issuance standards for federal recognition"), which outlines and imposes federal standards for issuance of drivers' licenses and IDs; if states don't comply, their drivers' licenses and IDs can't be accepted as proof of identity by federal agencies. HR 418 makes proof of legal immigration status a requirement for obtaining a driver's license or state-issued ID and the process of proof will be onerous on the states and on individuals. Driver's licenses are commonly used by the public as a means of identification for obtaining a library card and, in some states, public bodies have already been prohibited from accepting non-U.S. identification cards for receipt of public services, Non-US persons (citizens and resident aliens) could be precluded from access to public libraries. This provision is not necessary to provide for standardized ID cards and driver's licenses. HR 418 would repeal the driver's license provision contained in the just-passed intelligence reform law. That law sets up a process whereby states, the federal government, and interested parties would make recommendations for establishing minimum federal standards for IDs. The House named 11 Republicans and eight Democrats as conferees on the fiscal 2005 supplemental bill (HR 1268): REPUBLICANS: • Jerry Lewis (CA). • Henry Bonilla (TX) • David L. Hobson (OH) • Joe Knollenberg (MI) • Jim Kolbe (AZ) • Ralph Regula (OH) • Harold Rogers (KY) • Charles H. Taylor (NC) • James T. Walsh (NY) • Frank R. Wolf (VA) • C.W. Bill Young (FL) DEMOCRATS: • Norm Dicks (WA) • Chet Edwards (TX) • Nita M. Lowey (NY) • Alan B. Mollohan (W VA) • John P. Murtha (PA) • David R. Obey (WI) • Martin Olav Sabo (MN). • Peter J. Visclosky (IN) The Senate named all 28 members of its Appropriations Committee as conferees. REPUBLICANS: • Thad Cochran (MS) • Ted Stevens (AK) • Arlen Specter (PA) • Pete Domenici (NM) • Christopher Bond (MO) • Mitch McConnell (KY) • Conrad Burns (MT) • Richard Shelby (AL) • Judd Gregg (NH) • Robert Bennett (UT) • Larry Craig (ID) • Kay Bailey Hutchison (TX) • Mike DeWine (OH) • Sam Brownback (KS) • Wayne Allard (CO) DEMOCRATS: • Robert Byrd (WV) • Daniel Inouye (HI) • Patrick Leahy (VT) • Tom Harkin (IA) • Barbara Mikulski (MD) • Harry Reid (NV) • Herbert Kohl (WI) • Patty Murray (WA) • Byron Dorgan (ND) • Dianne Feinstein (CA) • Richard Durbin (IL) • Tim Johnson (SD) • Mary Landrieu (LA) ****** ALAWON (ISSN 1069-7799) is a free, irregular publication of the American Library Association Washington Office. All materials subject to copyright by the American Library Association may be reprinted or redistributed for noncommercial purposes with appropriate credits. To subscribe to ALAWON, send the message: subscribe ala-wo [your_firstname] [your_lastname] to listproc@ala.org or go to http://www.ala.org/washoff/alawon. To unsubscribe to ALAWON, send the message: unsubscribe ala-wo to listproc@ala.org. ALAWON archives at http://www.ala.org/washoff/alawon. ALA Washington Office, 1301 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W., Suite 403, Washington, D.C. 20004-1701; phone: 202.628.8410 or 800.941.8478 toll-free; fax: 202.628.8419; Web site: http://www.ala.org/washoff. Executive Director: Emily Sheketoff. Office of Government Relations: Lynne Bradley, Director; Don Essex, Joshua Farrelman, Erin Haggerty, Patrice McDermott and Miriam Nisbet. Office for Information Technology Policy: Rick Weingarten, Director; Carrie Lowe, Kathy Mitchell, Carrie Russell. ALAWON Editor: Bernadette Murphy.