OKLAHOMA CITY (KFSM) — Oklahoma has a few more months to become compliant with the Real ID act, after receiving an extension from the Department of Homeland Security.
The extension, which will end June 6, comes just weeks before the grace period would have ended on Jan. 29.
The REAL ID act was passed by Congress in 2005 with the intent to make state driver’s licenses more secure. However, Oklahoma has yet to comply with the requirements, reported CBS affiliate News 9.
Unless Oklahoma increases the security for licenses, people will not be able to use their driver’s licenses to enter military bases or federal buildings when the law goes into effect.
The REAL ID act will also affect commercial flights. If the state isn’t compliant by Jan. 22, 2018, Oklahomans will no longer be allowed to use their driver’s licenses as identification to board domestic flights.
Oklahoma Gov. Fallin released the following statement:
“Although this is great news for Oklahomans, this is only a temporary fix. While there will be no restrictions on individuals using Oklahoma licenses to fly or access federal buildings through June, legislation must be approved this session to make this permanent. I will continue to work with legislators, the state Department of Public Safety, Oklahoma’s congressional delegation and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to ensure a permanent solution is passed into law before this extension expires in June.”
