Pa. lawmakers send Real ID bill to Gov. Tom Wolf, who plans to sign it

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania lawmakers today voted overwhelmingly for a bill designed to comply with federal identification standards for people who want to fly or enter federal facilities.

The House passed the Real ID bill 190-1, and Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf said he will sign it.

The measure gives residents the option to obtain a driver’s license or other ID that meets the rules of a 2005 federal law enacted in response to the Sept. 11 terror attacks. Residents would also be allowed to get a noncompliant, traditional driver’s license or ID.

Rep. Frank Ryan, R-Lebanon, called the legislation “a reasonable option for us to get around an unnecessary federal regulation.”

The bill overturns a 2012 state law that had prevented the state from complying based on concerns about cost, constitutionality and government intrusiveness.

The new legislation aims to “protect the public, not look over our shoulders, not put us in a big database that’s been talked about,” said Rep. Ed Neilson, D-Philadelphia.