Kentucky Now Out of Compliance with Federal Driver’s License and ID Regulations

The deadline has passed on federal driver's license and ID regulations in Kentucky. The Department of Homeland Security did not grant the state's latest extension request to enact stricter standards. 

The REAL ID Act, signed into law by President George W. Bush in 2005, requires Kentucky and 28 other states to centralize the issuance of driver's licenses to the state's Transportation Cabinet rather than country circuit clerk's offices and verify applications through a federal government database. The immediate impact of this non-compliance, Kentuckians will no longer be able to get into Homeland Security headquarters in Washington, D.C. using a driver's license. They can only be admitted with a passport.

If the extension is not granted by January 7, 2017, Kentucky driver's licenses and identification will not be accepted at some federal facilities, such as military bases. And if the extension is still not granted by January of 2018, Kentuckians won't be able to board commercial airplanes without a passport.

Personally, I've never flown and I'm thinking when I decide to, I will get a passport just in case. When the state legislature reconvenes in January, the REAL ID issue will more than likely be discussed.