U.S. Travel Applauds DHS Measure to Allow for Electronic REAL ID Applications

U.S. Travel Association Executive Vice President of Public Affairs and Policy Tori Emerson Barnes issued the following statement on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) decision to allow for the electronic submission of required documents for REAL ID applications:

“DHS’ announcement—for which U.S. Travel has been a vocal advocate— is a step forward in streamlining the compliance process while upholding the security requirements of the REAL ID Act. However, the challenge remains that tens of millions of Americans do not yet possess REAL ID-compliant identification, and we won’t solve this issue by pushing people to the DMV.

“U.S. Travel testified before a Senate subcommittee last year that, without significant policy changes, thousands of Americans could be turned away from the TSA checkpoint on October 1. Technology and security have advanced greatly in the nearly 15 years since REAL ID was introduced, and we encourage DHS and Congress to pursue additional policy changes to facilitate Americans’ REAL ID compliancy. 

“We applaud DHS for recognizing the need to modernize the REAL ID application process, and we will continue to work with the agency to get Americans ready for the October 1, 2020 deadline for REAL ID enforcement.”