why not stop calling it a drivers license and start calling it an "internal passport" Original Article Some say provision puts costly burden on states Matthew L. Wald and David D. Kirkpatrick New York Times May. 3, 2005 12:00 AM WASHINGTON - State officials complain that requiring the verification of whether driver's license applicants are here legitimately will add a costly, complicated burden to the issuing of licenses, which has been their responsibility for almost a century. Civil rights organizations and privacy advocates say they are concerned that a standardized driver's license would amount to a national identification card and that a central database would be vulnerable to identify theft. There is no reliable estimate of how many licenses have been issued to non-citizens, whether in the country legally or illegally. The proposed regulations would replace a provision of the intelligence bill passed in December that called on state and federal agencies to develop new rules for licenses. That law did not specifically require states to check the citizenship or immigration status of applicants. Some of the ideas in the new measure were rejected in the December debate. But conservative members of the House, led by Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner Jr., R-Wis., threatened to block passage of the intelligence bill, until they won an agreement that they could try again this year. They got a pledge from the leadership to include the measures in a must-pass bill this year. Supporters of the law say it addresses important security problems, and they note that of the 19 hijackers in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks used driver's licenses as identification when checking in, and that a few had had expired visas. Supporters also say the measure will help control illegal immigration. Caroline Espinosa, a spokeswoman for NumbersUSA, a group that lobbies for tighter borders and tougher immigration laws, said, "This is really targeted toward national security, but a side effect would be discouraging illegal immigrants from coming into the United States and making it more difficult for them to open a bank account, buy a house, rent a car or buy a car." State officials and some senators say the new provision, known as the Real ID measure, imposes verification procedures, such as the authentication of birth certificates, that would be difficult for even the federal government to meet. However, many state licensing officials have long recognized a need for tighter standards and for better linking of databases, because many drivers whose licenses are revoked in one state quickly get a license in another. In July, Tennessee began issuing driver's licenses marked "For driving purposes only. Not valid for identification," for people who cannot supply proof that they are legally in the state. The license is printed vertically, to distinguish it from most driver's licenses. Tennessee has issued about 22,000 such cards since July, said Melissa McDonald, a spokeswoman for the state motor vehicle department.