Nevada Families Eagle Forum

186 Ryndon Unit 12, Elko, Nevada 89801, 775-397-6859, Sparks 775-356-0105

Janine Hansen, State President www.nevadafamilies.org director@nevadafamilies.org

March 14, 2009, In the Year of our Lord

 

Please forward to everyone you know!  Acknowledgement appreciated.

 

Nevada Legislative website: www.leg.state.nv.us

 

No Action Taken Today on SB52 – still time to contact Finance Committee

 

Senator Coffin stated today, during the hearing in the Senate Finance Committee, that he “had received 150-200 emails all opposing REAL ID and now we have one from the ACLU, so we’ve heard from the right and the left and nobody wants it.” THANKS TO YOU for sending your EMAILS!!!

 

UPDATE: It appears that Senators Mathews, Horsford are opposed to REAL ID.  Senator Coffin also appears to be concerned but he is worried about control of the borders.  He is very concerned about the drug cartels’ war on the border and is looking for ways to protect Americans from “undocumented workers” and terrorists crossing the border. Senator Raggio appears to be strongly in favor of SB52 REAL ID.  We did not have any indication from Senators Woodhouse, Hardy, Rhoads as to where they stood on SB52 REAL ID.

 

Lynn Chapman, David Schumann, Janine Hansen, and Rebecca Gasca of ACLU testified against REAL ID. The DMV bureaucrats testified in favor of REAL ID.

 

If you have not contacted them please do so!

These are entirely different Senators than were on the last committee, so they haven’t heard your concerns.

 

CONTACT Senate Finance Committee: Senators emails are the first initial added to last name.

Co-Chairmen:  bmathews@sen.state.nv.us , shorsford@sen.state.nv.us , Senators: bcoffin@sen.state.nv.us , jwoodhouse@sen.state.nv.us , wraggio@sen.state.nv.us , drhoads@sen.state.nv.us , whardy@sen.state.nv.us 

 

Contact by Phone:   Northern Nevada 775-684-6789, Southern Nevada 702-486-2626,

Toll Free 800-978-2878 Toll free fax: 866-543-9941

 

COST of REAL ID to TAXPAYERS is the Issue in Finance

In the Senate Finance the most important issues are financial issues, not policy issues, so when you write your emails make sure to mention the financial cost of REAL ID to Nevada taxpayers, as well as, the cost to liberty. Cost: see below.

 

MESSAGE: Vote NO on SB52 REAL ID—the backdoor national ID card, which is an unfunded mandate and is very expensive for Nevada taxpayers.

 

COST of REAL ID

 

Update: Nevada’s DMV’s stating that REAL ID will cost $5.1 million and they had received $2.9 million in federal grants already.  The Governor’s budget included $1.5 million for REAL ID. DMV is applying for more grants.  Remember-- federal grants are paid for by the taxpayers.  Testimony was given that there are hidden costs which are not yet known.

 

In 2007, the Nevada Legislature passed AJR6 which objected to REAL ID as an unfunded mandate.  AJR6 was passed with a near unanimous vote.  AJR6 states that the American Assoc. of Motor Vehicles Administrators, the National Governors’ Association, National Conference of State Legislators estimated that REAL ID would cost $11 billion to implement over 5 years. The original estimate was a cost of $23 billion.

 

The Legislature in AJR6 identified REAL ID would cost Nevada Taxpayers $30 million. In addition, AJR6 stated that the “State of Nevada would incur additional expenditures associated with the implementation of the national identification card through machine readable technology, increased training of Nevada’s Department of Motor Vehicles employees and increased Department of Motor Vehicles employee work hours.”

 

Governor Mark Sanford of South Carolina in a letter to then Secretary of Homeland Security writes that the federal government is only funding an insignificant 2% of the cost of REAL ID, and shifting the vast majority of costs to the States, taxpayers, and individual citizens to pay. 

 

Nevada Dept of Motor Vehicles has received some small grants to implement REAL ID.  They have applied for additional grants, all of which they have not received.  These grants, whatever their amount, cover only a small part of the real costs of REAL ID.  Nevada’s DMV bureaucrats are totally committed to implementing REAL ID.  They are the proponents of SB52 and REAL ID. 

 

Other Facts on: SB52 REAL ID

 

• REAL ID does not contain an RFID chip, but Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano is looking at options for REAL ID, like enhanced drivers licenses, passport cards or the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative as Washington State has adopted, which all contain an RFID chip.   http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/feb/20/napolitano-debates-real-id/

 

• REAL ID is a backdoor or defacto national ID card. It requires the creation of a national computer network which will link state driver’s license databases, so that they can be accessed by all states and the federal government.

 

• REAL ID will store every driver’s personal information and photograph in this linked database. The specter of a National Identity card or an internal passport card is antagonistic to American liberty, violates privacy and is a windfall for identity thieves.

 

• REAL ID provides substantial discretion to expand the scope of REAL ID. What will be required by the federal government in the future?  We have no assurances that at some point we won’t need REAL ID to open a bank account or purchase a gun.

 

• REAL ID will be required for Nevada citizens to fly on a plane or enter a federal building including the U.S. Capitol to visit their Congressmen.  But, states like Montana, who have passed laws prohibiting their state from participating in REAL ID, have received exemptions for their residents who will be able to fly on a plane and enter a federal building without REAL ID. Why should citizens of Nevada be second class citizens?  The Nevada Legislature should refuse to participate in REAL ID and demand an exemption, like other states. 

 

• Ten states have refused to participate in REAL ID including:  Arizona, South Carolina, Montana, Washington, Idaho, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Georgia, Maine and New Hampshire. www.realnightmare.com

 

• Janet Napolitano, the new Secretary of Homeland Security as Governor of Arizona, signed a state law HB2677 in June of 2008 prohibiting Arizona from participating in REAL ID. “This state shall not participate in the implementation of the REAL ID act of 2005 (P.L. 109-13, Division B; 119 Stat. 302).  The department shall not implement the REAL ID act of 2005 and shall report to the governor and the legislature any attempt by agencies or agents of the United States DEPARTMENT of homeland security to secure the implementation of the REAL ID act of 2005 through the operations of the United States department of homeland security.” Will she now demand that Arizona violate its own law prohibiting Arizona’s participation in REAL ID?

 

• REAL ID will not stop illegal immigration, but it will make Americans and Nevadans who choose not to be subject to REAL ID non persons.

 

• REAL ID is an unfunded mandate.  The bipartisan National Conference of State Legislatures has classified it as “the most egregious example” of an unfunded federal mandate. The Governor of South Carolina, Mark Sanford has stated that when all things are considered the Federal Government will pay only 2% of the actual cost of implementing REAL ID leaving the rest to the states. For more info on REAL ID go to www.nevadafamilies.org www.realnightmare.com

 

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