28 state senators have signed a letter asking Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to push back the May 7th enforcement date for REAL ID – a new federal ID required for airline travel and to enter some federal installations. Senator Jimmy Higdon, who authored the letter, said with less than 40 percent of eligible Kentuckians having a REAL ID, we’re simply not ready.
“We're seeing long waits at the at the regional offices for those that don't have appointments that are showing up, we're seeing no appointments available for those that try to go online.”
If Noem doesn’t agree to the extension, beginning May 7, people without REAL IDs will need a passport, military ID or other forms of identification to board commercial aircraft or enter a military installation.
Higdon said he’s cautiously optimistic Noem will agree to a delay.
“If she asked me my advice, what to do, I'd say, you know, ‘Suspend it for a year, etch it in stone say, you know, states, you have a year to get your constituents or your citizens compliant with the REAL ID.’”
The state doesn’t mandate REAL IDs, and Higdon and a state Transportation Cabinet official said people with no immediate plans to fly commercially or enter a military base wait.
