Kentucky lawmakers send letter asking for REAL ID deadline extension: ‘We just aren't there yet'
The national deadline requiring citizens to have a REAL ID to board a domestic flight in the United States is less than two weeks away, but Kentucky lawmakers sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on Friday asking federal officials to delay its implementation yet again.
According to a news release on Tuesday, April 23, Senate Transportation Chair Jimmy Higdon (R-Lebanon) joined 27 members of the Senate Majority Caucus in sending a letter to Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem asking for the delay, citing limited appointment availability throughout the state's regional driver licensing offices as well as an overall lack of REAL ID compliance in 30 states.
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'Only about 40 percent of our residents have a REAL ID, but I would also like more time to help Kentuckians understand that they may not need a REAL ID,' Sen. Higdon said. 'Kentucky has made a good faith effort, but we just aren't there yet.'
Kentucky lawmakers said in the letter that moving forward with the national REAL ID enforcement deadline as scheduled would strain regional offices that are already overburdened, as well as create unnecessary hardship for senior citizens and members of rural communities who can't find transportation to get or renew their license by the deadline.
The Senate Majority Caucus noted in its letter that Senate Bill 43, allowing third-party vendors to help with license renewals, won't take effect until June 27, leaving over a month-long gap after the current deadline to help Kentuckians get REAL IDs.
Kentucky lawmakers send letter asking for REAL ID deadline extension: 'We just aren't there yet'
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According to the news release, the REAL ID ACT was passed by Congress in 2005. Initially set to be enforced in 2008, the deadline was postponed multiple times before the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to other delays across several states.
For more information on REAL ID requirements and acceptable alternate forms of documentation, click here.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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