Real ID nixed in Arizona

Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano defied expectations and signed HB2677, a bill approved by the legislature that blocks federal "Real ID" efforts to convert state-issued drivers licenses into de facto national ID cards.

Napolitano had been championing what she called a "3-in-1" voluntary identification card that would move the state toward Real ID compliance while nominally allowing Arizona residents to opt out of the ID requirement. It's unclear whether the 3-in-1 scheme is dead, since HB2677 specifically bars compliance with the federal law, not state-level efforts. The governor seems to remain unconcerned about the privacy concerns raised by Real ID, arguing against the federal requirement on fiscal grounds.

"My support of the Real ID Act is, and has always been, contingent upon adequate federal funding. Absent that, the Real ID Act becomes just another unfunded federal mandate."

Arizona joins a growing list of states that have refused to implement Real ID. Since the federal government threatens to bar people with non-compliant ID from access to commercial airliners and federal services, the more states that refuse to comply, the more impossible to implement the federal mandate becomes.