BOARDMAN State rep plans bill to battle fake IDs

It's too easy to use phony documents to get a driver's license, the legislator says.
By DAVID SKOLNICK
VINDICATOR POLITICS WRITER
BOARDMAN -- State Rep. John Boccieri says an increase in identity theft and homeland security concerns are prompting him introduce legislation requiring a waiting period for out-of-state applicants wanting Ohio driver's licenses and ID cards.
At a press conference today at the Boardman License Bureau on Boardman-Canfield Road, Boccieri, of New Middletown, D-61st, was joined by Mahoning County Sheriff Randall Wellington, county Emergency Management Director Walter Duzzny and Deputy Registrar Kathleen Butler to discuss his proposed Ohio House bill.
An applicant can now obtain an Ohio driver's license by presenting documents including an out-of-state driver's license, a state-issued identification card, or birth certificate. Creating phony out-of-state driver's licenses and birth certificates is a growing problem with identity theft, illegal immigrants and potential terrorism activity, Boccieri said.
"The states have to do a better job of tightening up how they identify people," Boccieri said.
Vindicator series
Earlier this year, The Vindicator wrote a series of articles about the problem after three Guatemalans and a Mexican bought Puerto Rican birth certificates and Social Security cards and used them to fraudulently obtain Ohio IDs at West Side Merchants on Mahoning Avenue in Youngstown.
"This problem will continue so long as we have 50 different forms of identification from across America," Boccieri said. "With sophisticated computers drafting false documents, the process of validating identification becomes more challenging for deputy registrars and law enforcement."
State Sen. Robert F. Hagan of Youngstown, D-33rd, worked on similar legislation earlier this year, but didn't introduce a bill. Hagan said today he would sponsor Boccieri's proposal in the state Senate once it passes the House.
Deputy registrar employees in Ohio aren't trained and do not have tracking technology needed to check the validity of out-of-state documents, Boccieri said.
Changes proposed
Under Boccieri's bill, out-of-state applicants would have to offer proof of Ohio residency, and a check of their Social Security number would be required as well as a waiting period when documents cannot be instantly validated.
Current Ohio drivers would not be affected by the proposal, Boccieri said.
Boccieri, who will introduce the bill next month, expects it to be referred to the House Homeland Security and Architectural Design Committee, of which he is a member.
Duzzny said he expects Boccieri's proposal to "be a prototype for the rest of the country."
The American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators wants uniformity among the 50 states as to what should be required for a person to get a driver's license or state identification card. Also, the agency, which represents motor vehicle administrators in the United States and Canada, wants Congress to spend $78 million for a national motorist verification system. The system would link state motor vehicle agencies and permit them to check driving records and other documentation used by people obtaining driver's licenses and state ID cards.
skolnick@vindy.com