Secretary Testifies on PASS ID

The Secretary was on the hill this morning to testify in front of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs on PASS ID.

PASS ID is legislation that was introduced last month in the U.S. Senate, and would amend the REAL ID Act of 2005. Both pieces of legislation are aimed at strengthening security requirements for driver's licenses – while the federal government sets the standards, it’s up to the states to implement. 13 states have enacted “anti-REAL ID” laws, virtually eliminating the chance that REAL ID can ever be implemented nationally. PASS ID seeks to establish national standards to enhance the security and integrity of all licenses and ID cards, while retaining state flexibility to go further if they want.

From the Secretary's testimony today:

"PASS ID is a critical piece of national security legislation that will fix the REAL ID Act of 2005 and institute strong security standards for government-issued identification. PASS ID will fulfill a key recommendation of the 9/11 Commission, that the federal government set standards for identification such as driver’s licenses and non-driver identification cards – and this bill will do so in a way that states will implement, rather than disregard. PASS ID will enact the same strong security standards set out by REAL ID as quickly as REAL ID – but, critically, this bill provides a workable way to get there."

-- Secretary Janet Napolitano

We'll keep you updated on PASS ID as it moves forward.

Secretary Sits Down with Reporters

Secretary Napolitano sat down with some reporters and bloggers yesterday to answer questions and talk about her upcoming overseas travel and priorities for the summer. Reporters were free to ask questions on any topic – and so, the Secretary discussed counterterrorism, cybersecurity, PASS ID, and a number of other issues. We put the highlights together in the video below for your viewing pleasure. Check it out.

Viewing this video requires the Flash 9 plugin.

Click here for a transcript of the Secretary's remarks.