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." ______________________________________________________________________________ Send a friend your Buddy Card and stay in contact always with Excite Messenger http://messenger.excite.com <<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>> To view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: [log in to unmask] <<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>