Mo. gets extension to meet federal driver's license requirements

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The state Department of Revenue announced Friday that it will have an extra 19 months before it needs to meet new federal requirements for driver's licenses.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security extended a May 11 deadline to give Missouri until the end of 2009 to meet federal regulations for Real ID. Several states also have received the extension.

A spokesman for the state Revenue Department said the extra time is needed to continue reviewing 284 pages of federal regulations. Spokesman David Griffith said the department received approval for the extension about two weeks ago.

Driver's licenses issued by states that miss the deadline won't be valid for flying on planes. Congress in 2005 approved the federal requirements because of national security fears as some of those involved in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks had driver's licenses.

But Real ID has been controversial, and Rep. Jim Guest, R-King City, has organized a coalition of state lawmakers to oppose it. Last year, several states, including Missouri, approved resolutions objecting to the requirements.

But Missouri's objection, unlike those in other states, doesn't prohibit compliance with Real ID requirements.

The opposition stems from a combination of fiscal, privacy and religious concerns. State leaders say meeting the new federal regulations will be more expensive while some fear it's a step toward a national ID.

Others worry it fulfills a biblical prophecy about the mark of the beast, which would bring the world closer to the apocalypse.