Read these comments from U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) regarding how the Real ID Act became law without a conference and vote then added to the spending bill (HR1268) that passed. NO CONFERENCE...NO VOTE. If this isn't at least worth forwarding to every citizen in the USA, then what is? I implore you...pass it on. Mike PS Here is an additional link that will help folks get up to speed on Real ID: http://www.epic.org/privacy/id_cards/
http://murray.senate.gov/news.cfm?id=237369 Real ID Provision Next, Mr. President, I am very troubled by how far-reaching and unrelated immigration rules got attached to this bill without a vote and without an opportunity to debate. The Real ID provision has ramifications for privacy, states' rights and immigration policy. I am disappointed that it has been rammed through as an attachment to desperately needed funding for our troops. Denied a Vote Many of us are scratching our heads about how this Real ID provision ended up in the conference report. I know I didn't vote on it. I know there wasn't even a discussion of it in conference, but somehow - here it is - included in this must-pass bill. I served on the conference committee. I want to share with my colleagues exactly what happened in the conference meeting so they will understand why the sudden appearance of the Real ID provision is so surprising to many of us. When the conference committee met, the Chairman gave assurances to the minority that we would be able to vote on several provisions when the conference met again. But the conference never met again - leaving no opportunity for the minority party to vote - much less to strike these provisions. Let me share the specifics. In our second meeting, Senator Durbin asked Chairman Cochran for his assurance that we would get a chance to vote on these immigration changes - and other open items -- before the supplemental was sent to the floor. In fact, I want to read a portion of a transcript from that meeting. This discussion took place on Thursday, April 28th. Senator Durbin: "I would also like to say to my colleagues, if this bill contains -- as I believe it does -- the Real ID Act, I would like a vote on that so that we can be on the record on an issue that has never been brought before committee in the Senate. My question to you is this, Mr. Chairman: there have been times when conference committees of this magnitude have recessed and never been heard from again. The next thing we find is a conference committee report on the Floor on a take it or leave it basis. Can we have your assurance that we will return for votes on amendments such as those we have debated today and those that I have mentioned?" Here was Senator Cochran's response to Senator Durbin: Senator Cochran: "Senator, I would be glad to make the assurance that if there is work to be done, if there are open items to be considered, that we can consider those in conference. I am not prepared to make a commitment as to when that will be. I don't want to lead you to believe that I am going to surreptitiously or in secret reach an agreement on the other side without consulting with all the conferees on the Senate side. I think everyone in this conference has a right to participate in this discussion and I wouldn't want to cut off anybody's right to participate." Now I've worked with Senator Cochran for many years, and I know him to be a man of his word. Mr. President, to me that exchange meant that we would have an opportunity to vote on the Real ID provision, but that never happened. To me, that is wrong. The Real ID provision will have dramatic and far-reaching changes and yet it has never been brought before a Senate committee and was never voted on in the Conference. Mr. President, that is why I did not sign the final conference report, which is unusual for me. I did not sign it because I believe the process was flawed, and we were denied an opportunity to debate and discuss these immigration changes before they were brought to the floor as part of a must-pass bill. We are all very concerned about our security, but this received very little debate. Before Congress mandates these kinds of changes, we should have a more informed debate. In fact, it begs the question - why was this added to a must-pass bill without any debate? Probably because it couldn't withstand a rigorous and open public debate. But that's what we should have on this issue, and I'm disappointed that the Majority denied us that opportunity. I also want to note the irony that the Senate is about to allow a technical fix to immigration-related language that was included in the supplemental - which I agree needs to be fixed - but the Democrats in the conference committee were not provided any opportunity to fix the any other immigration provisions. I want to reiterate my frustration with how the Real ID Act was included, and that we were not given the same consideration regarding that language.
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