Senator Rich Draheim (R-Madison Lake) issued the following statement on the passage of House File 3, the REAL ID compliance bill, by the Senate.

“I have always been committed to making sure Minnesota is ready when REAL ID takes effect. I’ve heard a lot from my constituents who were worried they would have problems boarding planes next year — all along I’ve told them we would get this done, and I’m proud we were able to deliver in such a strong bipartisan way.

 

“I also heard from people who had data privacy concerns about REAL ID. I’m sympathetic to those concerns, which is why I supported our plan for a two-tier, opt-in system. In other words, if you are worried or confused about what REAL ID means for your private data, you will never have to get one. Making that choice available to Minnesotans was an important part of gaining my support.”