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Live Without National ID Or Die
by Michael Martinez
A New Hampshire proposal to reject a federal law mandating national standards for identification cards cleared a key legislative hurdle Wednesday.
The state Senate Public and Municipal Affairs Committee voted unanimously to endorse the bill, H.B. 1582, which would make the Granite State the first in nation to reject the so-called REAL ID Act. The bill could hit the Senate floor for a full vote as early as May 3. The House passed the measure last month.
Gov. Jim Lynch is expected to sign the bill into law if the legislature clears it.
The REAL ID Act requires states to standardize their driver's licenses. Privacy advocates argue that it would jeopardize the civil liberties of state residents and that it is the first step toward a national ID card. The New Hampshire bill has drawn the support of several prominent national organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union.
New Hampshire lawmakers also have voiced concern that the federal statute imposes an unfunded mandate that places an unfair financial burden on state governments.
Katherine Albrecht, a New Hampshire resident who co-authored the book "Spychips: How Major Corporations and Government Plan to Track Your Every Move with RFID" said Wednesday's committee vote bodes well for Senate passage.
"We're giving each other high fives and doing the happy dance," said Albrecht, who is also a co-founder of Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering.
Another privacy-related bill advanced this week in Wisconsin, where the state Senate on Tuesday approved a measure to ban employers from requiring individuals to be implanted with computer chips so they can be tracked electronically. The measure, A.B. 290, would impose fines up to $10,000 per violation.
The Senate rejected an amendment to exempt government monitoring of registered sex offenders and to let parents track their children. Passed by the House on March 9, the bill has been sent to Gov. Jim Doyle, who is expected to sign it into law.
A separate measure advancing through the legislature would require sex offenders to wear global positioning devices for life.
Report Blasts State Communications Systems
A report released Monday found that eight hurricane-prone states lack communications systems for emergency responders that are capable of functioning across jurisdictions.
According to a study, compiled by the First Response Coalition, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Texas are behind in building interoperable emergency networks. The coalition blamed insufficient funding and inadequate coordination at all levels of government for their failures to prepare for this year's hurricane season.
The coalition credited Florida and South Carolina with taking important steps to secure vital communications resources, but it said all eight states are still at risk of massive failures.
"Once again, interoperability has received national attention following a disaster, but as we enter another potentially deadly hurricane season, first responders still can't talk to one another," coalition Executive Director Steven Jones said in a release. "The FRC believes much more needs to be done, in these eight hurricane zone states and across the country."
The report urges the Homeland Security Department to complete a baseline survey to evaluate the interoperability of communications systems in every state. It further recommends that federal grant programs for emergency response be more transparent.
In a statement, U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., said he hopes the report will prompt lawmakers and government agencies to address the issue. "Stronger national leadership and sufficient, dedicated resources, which I have called for consistently, are necessary to avoid a repeat of the disastrous communications problems that hampered the response to Hurricane Katrina," Lieberman said.
Florida Chambers Take Two Telecom Paths
A Florida House panel on Tuesday approved a measure to strip localities of their authority to regulate video franchises, clearing the way for a showdown with the Senate over a competing proposal in the last two weeks of the spring legislative session.
The House Commerce Council passed a bill, H.B. 1199, to let new video providers bypass local regulators by applying for statewide franchises. Bill sponsor Rep. Anthony Traviesa argues that streamlining the video-franchising process is necessary to facilitate competition -- a contention shared by telephone companies aspiring to offer television services.
The bill, already approved by the House Finance and Tax, and Utilities and Communications committees, is now headed to the floor for a full vote.
Florida Senate lawmakers are moving in another direction. Their measure, S.B. 900, which the Senate Communications and Public Utilities Committee approved last week, would require local governments to adopt ordinances by 2011 to establish standards for companies providing video services within their jurisdictions. The standards outlined by the ordinances would allow local regulators to retain their authority on video services.
Oklahoma Videogame Bill Heads To Governor
The Oklahoma Senate on Tuesday cleared a bill to ban the sale of violent and sexually explicit videogames to minors, sending it to Gov. Brad Henry for final approval.
The measure, H.B. 3004, won unanimous Senate passage, complementing last month's 97-0 House vote.
The bill would expand the materials banned for sale to children younger than 18 to include computer software and interactive videogames. It also would outlaw the sale of "magnetic memory disks" that store violent or pornographic content. If the measure is signed by the governor, it would take effect Nov. 1.
"I'm pleased we've been able to pass this legislation and provide protection to our children and families," Sen. Glenn Coffee said in a statement. "A mere warning on the sleeve of a game is not adequate to describe much of the violence contained in these games. Games that include the killing of police and other law enforcement officials, for instance, can only have a desensitizing effect on children."
The Oklahoma House, meanwhile, on Wednesday cleared a bill to make using the Internet to sexually solicit minors a felony. The measure, S.B. 1479, also would increase the prison sentence for such crimes to 10 years and create a special unit for Internet crimes against children within the Bureau of Investigation.
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