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Bill that would limit ID upgrade vetoed

The measure would have required the state to get federal money before adopting new license requirements; Pawlenty said that could wind up hurting Minnesotans.

By PAT DOYLE, Star Tribune

Last update: April 25, 2008 - 8:30 PM

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A bill that would have restricted Minnesota's conversion to a more tamper-proof driver's license was vetoed Friday by Gov. Tim Pawlenty.

In rejecting a broader transportation bill, Pawlenty singled out a provision that would have required Minnesota to get most of the federal money needed for the conversion before adopting the new license requirements.

The requirements are intended to make licenses harder to forge, but states have complained that the federal government has left them to pay for a costly conversion.

Congress passed the new license requirement, called REAL I.D., in response to recommendations of the 9/11 Commission.

Pawlenty said that if Minnesota licenses aren't in compliance with the new standards after 2009, residents will be prohibited from using them as identification for air travel or to enter federal buildings.

He said many costs of the conversion will overlap with the expense of security features that Minnesota will pursue independently. "It is unrealistic to expect the federal government to pay for implementing those state features," he said.

Sen. Steve Murphy, DFL-Red Wing, denounced the veto, saying it sacrificed "dozens of other noncontroversial" provisions in the transportation bill.

Murphy also said the bill included safeguards against exposing private data of Minnesotans. It required the Department of Public Safety to prove that its computer systems and record management can provide adequate security for the new license system to prevent unauthorized disclosures.

In another action, Pawlenty also vetoed a resolution urging Congress and the president to end trade, financial and travel restrictions with Cuba.

The governor said that there is room for increased trade under current federal policy and that foreign policy wasn't the job of state legislatures.

"The Cuban government is totalitarian," Pawlenty said in a letter to a DFL Senate leader. "Significant progress needs to be made before the United States should consider establishing full diplomatic and commercial relations with Cuba."

In another veto, the governor rejected a bill that would have allowed local governments to make unlimited cash or in-kind donations to nonprofits.

Pat Doyle • 651-222-1210

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Governor: Tim Pawlenty
One of only a few prominent Republicans to win a competitive re-election contest in the Democratic sweep of 2006, Tim Pawlenty is widely seen as politically shrewd and naturally likable.

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