(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa legislature has sent the governor a bill requiring the Iowa D-O-T to check a federal database if someone seeking a driver’s license or state-issued I-D does not arrive with proof they’re a citizen or a legal resident of the U.S. Senator Tim Kraayenbrink, a Republican from Fort Dodge, says he and his wife recently provided birth certificates and other documents proving their citizenship when they got their “Real I-D” driver’s licenses from the D-O-T.
“I think my wife kind of put it off a little bit ’cause she didn’t want to get all that stuff together, but will still did,” Kraayenbrink said. “We wanted to verify that we were citizens so that we knew that our ID was up-to-date and and we were able to travel.” Real I-Ds have been requires for domestic air travel since May of last year.
Senator Cindy Winckler, a Democrat from Davenport, is among 15 lawmakers who opposed the policy. Winckler says the SAVE system does not contain a comprehensive record of all citizens. “For that reason the information gleaned from the SAVE program should be considered useful, but not definitive in assessing an individual’s citizenship,” Winckler said.
Bill backers say the SAVE system is over 99 percent accurate and, if there is an error, someone can appeal the D-O-T’s denial of their driver’s license. The Iowa D-O-T will need to do some updates and the policy is scheduled to go into effect March 1st, 2027 — if the governor signs the bill into law.
