Air Travelers - Security Showdown

Millions of air travelers may find going through airport security is much more complicated this spring as the Bush administration heads toward a showdown with state governments over post Sept. 11 rules for new driver's licenses. By May, the dispute could leave millions of people unable to use their licenses to board planes, but privacy advocates called that a hollow threat by federal officials. Homeland Security Secretary, Michael Chertoff, who was unveiling final details of the REAL ID
Act's rules, said that if states want their licenses to remain valid for air travel after May 2008, those states must seek a waiver indicating they want more time to comply with the legislation. Chertoff said that for any state which doesn't seek such a waiver by May, residents of that state will have to use a passport or certain types of federal border-crossing cards, if they want to avoid a vigorous secondary screening at airport security.