North Country Sen. Joseph Griffo, R-Rome, is seeking answers as to why the state has lagged on adopting federal identification requirements adopted into law nearly a decade ago.

New York is one of only five states or territories in the United States which is non-compliant with the REAL ID Act passed by Congress and signed into law in 2005.

Griffo represents the 47th Senate District. It includes a swath running through the middle of St. Lawrence County, from Massena to Fine, including Potsdam.

The act includes provisions where states were directed to improve the reliability and accuracy of state-issued identification documents such as tamper-proof identification licenses to be issued by a Department of Motor Vehicles. New York, along with American Samoa, Louisiana, Minnesota and New Hampshire, are currently the only authorities which are non-compliant with this federal law.

In his letter to the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, Griffo says “The fact that 46 other states, the District of Columbia and four of our nation’s five territories can either comply with this federal regulation or appeal to the government for an extension while New York does nothing for its residents is unacceptable. What is even more troubling is that the department isn’t even informing the public about this act and what steps they need to take in order to comply with these regulations themselves. In fact, a simple search of the REAL ID Act on the DMV’s website reveals zero information about the law.”

Griffo also pointed out, that according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, beginning no sooner than Jan. 1, any person wishing to board an aircraft must present identification which complies with the provisions of the REAL ID Act.

“New Yorkers who are looking to board a domestic flight or a cruise, will be forced to carry their standard license and birth certificate, or their passport or have to pay for an enhanced drivers license,” Griffo said. “The worst part is that vacation and business travelers could be legally denied boarding for lack of the proper ID documentation.”

Griffo, a member of the Senate’s Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs Committee, said he’s joined committee chair Senator Tom Croci (2nd S.D., Sayville) as a co-sponsor of legislation (Senate bill 5842) that would direct the state DMV to immediately comply with federal law, to issue the proper, compliant ID licenses, without additional cost to New Yorkers. Griffo said that a legislative remedy would not be timely enough to delay the potential trouble for travelers.

“A bill would still need to go through the legislative process and its passage into law could conceivably take us well into 2016,” he said. “Immediate action by the DMV could alleviate these concerns, that’s why I’m asking DMV if they have a plan to deal with this.”