FYI
----------------------
http://news.excite.com/news/ap/011118/17/attacks-drivers-license

MIAMI (AP) - Several states are changing the rules for obtaining drivers'
licenses, particularly for foreign nationals, as a result of the Sept. 11
terrorist attacks.

Before the attacks, the nation's main form of identification was issued
according to loosely enforced standards set by each state. Law enforcement
officials say the 19 terror hijackers used drivers' licenses to open bank
accounts and rent cars and apartments.

Now, Florida, North Carolina, Michigan and others are tightening
regulations, and some are considering new licenses that would include
biometric data such as fingerprints or retinal patterns.

Some also are considering linking the states' computer networks, elevating
the licenses into de facto national ID cards.

"We don't need a new national ID card. We already have one. We just have to
make it better," said Jason King, spokesman for the American Association of
Motor Vehicle Administrators.

Under an executive order signed last month by Gov. Jeb Bush, foreigners
applying for Florida licenses get 30-day temporary permits while police
investigate their identification. If cleared, they'll be granted licenses
that expire at the same time as their visas.

In other states:

- In Michigan, which has one of the nation's largest Arab populations,
Secretary of State Candice Miller proposed a bill that would bar illegal
immigrants from receiving licenses.

- Wisconsin suspended acceptance of a visa form, which foreign visitors fill
out and the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service checks, as proof of
residency.

- New Jersey stopped issuing licenses to immigrants whose visas expire
within a year.

- Florida and North Carolina are closing loopholes that allowed drivers the
option of refusing to be photographed for religious reasons.

Some proposals could face legal challenges.

"It does seem to have a very Big Brother atmosphere to it," said Randall
Marshall, legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union chapter in
Florida. "The question becomes how much of our day-to-day privacy is going
to be sacrificed in the name of fighting terrorism."






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