If you intend to board a flight, find a job on a military base or visit a federal installation, it would be wise to get a passport real soon, if you don't have one already.
Alaskans could face serious access problems starting this summer — with flight travel restrictions as of next January — if the state misses the latest deadline to set driver's license standards that comply with the so-called Real ID federal law enacted in 2005.
Alaska licenses were once widely known as the easiest in the country to counterfeit. We were one of the last states to stop using paper licenses and Polaroid photos, taking some basic security steps only after the terrorist attacks in 2001. The state shifted to central issuance of licenses in 2014.
Bills to revise the Alaska license process to increase security have encountered headwinds in Juneau from legislators who see this as federal overreach, an invasion of privacy and an unfunded mandate. It may be all of that and more, but Congress has shown no appetite to repeal the law.
The Legislature should heed the warnings from labor unions, business groups, oil companies, trucking companies, airlines, contractors, construction workers, school districts and local governments about the immediate problems that can still be avoided.
Businesses and unions say that without approval of House Bill 74 or Senate Bill 34, the state will be creating an incentive for contractors on military bases to hire Outside workers from states that have driver's licenses that already meet the federal standard.
"Without passing the Real ID bill, contractors may be forced to hired more non-resident workers who have compliant IDs from their home states," union business agents Dennis Moen, Joey Merrick and Kevin Pomeroy wrote legislators.
Twenty-six states have complied with the law and most of the rest, including Alaska, are in various stages of foot-dragging, though several are moving to comply this spring.
The military has hundreds of millions in construction projects planned in Interior Alaska over the next few years, and with the recession getting worse, the state should not be making it more difficult for Alaskans to get jobs.
"Thousands of Alaskans who work in federal facilities and on military bases will be impacted when these rules are finally enforced," Gov. Bill Walker said.
Delta Air Lines says that failing to comply with the law will "result in unnecessary delay and disappointment, with denied boarding" as well as longer security lines at airports in January when the current Alaska license will no longer get you through security.
The federal demand for stricter identification rules came about because some of the Sept. 11 hijackers had fake documents, which were easy to get because security standards were a joke.
The law mandates that states verify the identity of applicants and use safeguards such as digital photos and unique card numbers.
The language in the bills introduced by the governor strikes a reasonable compromise — it would give Alaskans the option of getting a license that meets the federal standard or one that keeps them grounded and out of federal installations.
I'd like to have the choice of getting a license that complies with the federal law so I don't need to carry my passport to board an airplane.
Some people are worried about their private information being available to the government through a driver's license. That information and more is collected through the process of issuing a passport, which you would otherwise need for most travel.
Federal overreach or not, this is the reality of life today.
Columnist Dermot Cole can be reached at dermot@alaskadispatch.com.
The views expressed here are the writer's and are not necessarily endorsed by Alaska Dispatch News, which welcomes a broad range of viewpoints. To submit a piece for consideration, email commentary@alaskadispatch.com. Send submissions shorter than 200 words to letters@alaskadispatch.com or click here to submit via any web browser.