By Catherine M. Welch
Wilmington, NC – South Carolina is now the fifth state to reject the federal Real ID Act.
The act sets national security standards for driver's licenses and identification cards. But South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford calls those standards a costly federal mandate and signed legislation to prevent the Real ID Act from kicking in at the end of 2009.
The governor's spokesperson Joel Sawyer says the Real ID Act would have cost South Carolina $25-million up front and $11-million annually.
We philosophically opposed to unfunded mandates. If the Federal Government is going to mandate that we do something, the least they could do is pay for it.
South Carolina joins Montana, Oklahoma, Washington and Maine in banning the Real ID Act. New Hampshire's governor is expected to sign a similar bill on Friday.