Martin/Tibbs Block Anti-RFID Bill – Again

OK-SAFE Inc. – Evidence of the powerful RFID lobby in the Oklahoma Legislature, the bill prohibiting RFID tags in the OK drivers license will only be heard in committee if the author of the bill agrees to new language allowing RFID tags in the Oklahoma drivers license.

Rep. Steve Martin, vice-chair of the House Public Safety committee, has offered a proposed committee substitute for HB 1399, by Rep. Paul Wesselhoft.  Martin’s proposed language is a backdoor attempt to allow the state to imbed RFID tags in drivers licenses and state issued-identification cards, while limiting their use.

Currently, the state of Oklahoma does not allow RFID tags in their drivers licenses, despite the federal push to add them. (See prior post on this bill here and information on the REAL ID debacle here.)

If Wesselhoft refuses Martin’s new language, committee Chairman Rep. Sue Tibbs will not allow the bill a hearing.

If the bill’s author agrees to the substitution, and that language passes, the state will have opened the door to having RFID tags in the drivers licenses, the very thing HB 1399 was trying to prohibit in the first place.

Both Tibbs and Martin blocked this bill last session, when the bill was originally introduced.

Such is the power of the chairman’s position – and why a bill like HR 1004 is so necessary.  (HR 1004 is a proposed rule change introduced by Rep. Charles Key at the beginning of the 2011 session that would require a chair to hear a bill if the author asked for it to be heard in committee. House leadership has effectively blocked the passage of this resolution.)

OK-SAFE recommends that Wesselhoft rejects the Martin committee substitute language.

HB 1399 Language, amending Title 47, Section 6-111:

7.  The Department of Public Safety shall be prohibited from embedding, affixing, adhering or assigning any radio frequency identification (RFID) tag to any driver license or identification card.  The Department shall further be prohibited from utilizing any type of RFID ink in any format or configuration onto or into any driver license or identification card.  As used in this paragraph, “radio frequency identification” means a data collection technology system that uses electromagnetic or electrostatic coupling in the radio frequency portion of the electromagnetic spectrum to transmit signals that contain unique identification or location information of persons or products.

Martin’s Proposed Committee Substitute:

The Department of Public Safety shall be prohibited from embedding, affixing, adhering or assigning to any driver license or identification card any device, object, or technology with any of the following of the characteristics or capabilities contained herein:

           a. ) The conveyance of information of any kind concerning the owner or subject of the driver license or identification card not presented in the legible text of the driver license or identification card.

           b.)  The capability of the card to be remotely read while being held in a wallet or purse.

Translation:

The proposed language and section a.) does not prohibit a RFID tag in/on the state drivers’ license or identification card.   It allows an RFID tag that contains some information.  In other words, it’s a way to put RFID tags into the state drivers licenses and ID cards, while limiting the information to be the same as what is readable on the card.  If put into place, this language can later be amended to expand the RFID data requirements.

Further, section b.) does literally nothing to protect the RFID tag from being remotely read. Because people have to take their driver’s license out of their wallet or purse so frequently – i.e. writing a check, getting a prescription, getting a credit card, for ID when making a return at a store, to get into some buildings, to buy an airline ticket, to board a plane, etc. – their drivers license is exposed a great deal of the time, leaving plenty of opportunity for it to be read remotely.

OK-SAFE believes this is an attempt at slight of hand and again recommends Wesselhoft rejects the Martin/Tibbs proposals.

 

The REAL ID “Kill Shot” Fired from Oklahoma

For several years OK-SAFE, along with most Oklahomans and the rest of the United States, has objected to the REAL ID national/international ID card and the continued expansion of the collection of personally-identifiable biometric information from the everyday citizens by the government.

We’ve issued position papers/fact sheets on the REAL ID, (REAL ID, A Global Security Envelope), and asked the moral question: Is it right for Oklahoma to collect biometrics from its’ citizens? (REAL ID – Objections).

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo: L-I Identity Solutions

Through two Oklahoma administrations (Brad Henry’s and now Mary Fallin’s) we’ve work to reverse the liberty-killing legislation that changed the OK drivers license laws to require fingerprinting (“Press your index finger on the pad, Grandma”), and high-resolution photos (“Take your glasses off ma’am, and don’t smile – we want to be able to identify you remotely when you’re out in public. This is for public safety purposes.”)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo: L-I Identity Solutions, DL contract holder in Oklahoma.

We’ve written language preventing the imbedding, or affixing of an RFID tag in the OK drivers license – twice.  It passed the first time in 2010, but Brad Henry vetoed the anti-RFID chip bill in a maneuver that was planned ahead of time with the Republican-led legislature. Fallin’s administration wouldn’t even allow the bill a hearing this year.

ALL of the proposed legislation objecting to the expansion of the collection of  personally-identifiable biometrics on the OK drivers license or to protect the privacy of citizens have failed – whether the objections were based on civil liberties concerns or moral and religious objections.  None of the requests for restoration of the protection of the rights of innocent, law-abiding citizens have been allowed, in either Gov. Henry (Democrat) or Gov. Fallin (Republican) administrations.

It is evident that educating the elected officials about the dangers of a national/international ID hasn’t worked; objecting to legislation expanding the biometric “collection net” hasn’t worked; sponsoring legislation that protects religious freedom hasn’t worked; protecting civil liberties hasn’t worked. Writing meaningful legislation, single subject, or multi-pronged, hasn’t worked.

Changing Administrations hasn’t worked.

What’s next?  The Courts.

One Oklahoma woman – wife, mother, Christian – has made the difficult decision to not renew her biometric Oklahoma drivers license in order to bring this issue  to court, the only option left to the concerned law-abiding citizens of Oklahoma.   That brave woman is Kaye Beach.  Recently, (June 28, 2011) FOX 25 News in Oklahoma City featured Kaye in one of their Top Stories – video and story here.

OK-SAFE recognizes that the decision to go to court was not made lightly, and was made only after all other legal options were exhausted. As a matter of course, what remains is to bring this issue to court.

OK-SAFE supports Kaye Beach in this effort and asks that anyone who can, to please contribute to the Kaye Beach legal defense fund.  Prayers are appreciated as well.

You may contribute to Kaye’s effort by sending a check or money order to:

Kaye Beach, P.O. Box 722381, Norman, Oklahoma, 73070 (please write legal defense fund in the memo section of your check or money order). For those that wish to use a credit card (click here to donate) to Kaye’s legal defense fund.

This fight is really for all of us – please help financially, if you can.

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Below is an excerpt from a July 1, 2011 article appearing here, http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/38063 .:

The REAL ID “Kill Shot” – Fired From Oklahoma, by Howard Houchen, July 2, 2011

In the early morning hours of 04 June 2011, a lady in Norman, Oklahoma receives a traffic ticket from local law enforcement.  The lady is a former small business owner, a good mother, a Christian, and a loving wife who has just finished a long day of work related research and activities.  The reason for the stop is not a moving traffic violation and the citation she ultimately receives is for an expired, Oklahoma state issued, drivers license.  How do I “know” these things?  The lady is Kaye Beach…and she happens to be a dear friend.

A hair-dresser, turned researcher, turned activist – Kaye had, just a few months earlier, made the very difficult decision to no longer bow to the unjust demands of government relating to her driver’s license that she believes to be morally wrong, unconstitutional, and unnecessary.  Oklahoma requires both fingerprint and a facial-recognition-compatible photo to be placed on the drivers license (BIOMETRIC IDENTIFIERS).  Kaye, like many Americans, views government collection, storage, and dissemination of very personal and unique individual characteristics as a potential threat to privacy, autonomy, personal freedoms, and individual liberty.  She also happens to know quite a bit about REAL ID.

Contrary to what many Americans may have heard, REAL ID is not dead nor is this INTER-national identity scheme even close to becoming an endangered species…YET.  REAL ID was passed by FEDERAL lawmakers in 2005 to mandate all state-issued drivers’ licenses met FEDERAL and some international standards…these minimum standards are known as REAL ID compliance benchmarks.  It must be noted that 26 states appeared to push back against this federal intrusion into state affairs by passing laws and/or resolutions against participation in REAL ID…Oklahoma is one such state.  Knowing this, Kaye repeatedly attempted to renew her DL without submitting her biometric information.  The standard low-resolution photo (which is virtually indiscernible from the digital facial-recognition-compatible sort) is no problem.  The digital, high-resolution, photo allows for an individual to be “scanned” from afar without knowledge or consent.  From local DMV office to the state-level, she asked questions and the result was the same…submit your biometric identifying information or you will be unable to renew your license: Have a Nice Day!

Seemed a bit “strange” for a state that vowed non-compliance with REAL ID mandates.

Read the rest here.

Lieberman not allowing testimony on PASS ID Act

Homeland Security Committee chair Senator Joe Lieberman has apparently determined that dissenting comments are not to be allowed during the committee meeting on S. 1261, the PASS ID Act bill which repeals one part of the controversial REAL ID Act of 2005.

As of this writing only two opinions will be heard in committee – Stuart Baker (DHS), who is against the PASS ID Act because he’s for the REAL ID Act, and someone from the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) who is for the PASS ID Act and who has only slight concerns about privacy rights.

What happened to healthy debate, openness in government, and listening to the concerns of the American public and citizenexperts with first hand experience in biometric technology and where it’s headed? (Mark Lerner, among others).  Apparently the committee process is contrived and only has the appearance of represention in action.

Calls are needed to Senator Joe Lieberman asap.  Ask him to please allow more than the two pro-big brother intrusiveness folks to speak – the people need a voice in this committee meeting and they need it now.

Contact information for Sen. Joe Lieberman: (202) 224-4041 

The other committee members are listed at www.stoprealidcoalition.com. Call all of the 15 other Senators on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

More details and information on the content of the bill, and the specific language that skirts around actually calling the facial image capture ‘biometric’, but really is,  see www.stoprealidcoalition.com.

Calls needed today.

Call to Action on PASS Act, S. 1261 – Driver’s Licenses again!

Stop the Real ID Coalition has issued a Call to Action on the Real ID replacement bill known as the PASS Act, S. 1261, by Senator Akaka of Hawaii.

The PASS Act is actually a continuation of the controversial Real ID (federal/international standards applied to all states’ driver’s licenses) and is further reaching in its’ biometrics requirements for driver’s licenses.

For more information and the names and numbers of who to call in the Senate go to: http://www.stoprealidcoalition.com/

Start calling this week and make sure to get to all 16 Senators.

Family Day at the Capitol May 7, 2009

Join OK-SAFE and other great family-friendly Oklahoma organizations at the Capitol building Thursday, May 7, 2009 from 9am to 2pm.

This event, sponsored by the Oklahoma Family Policy Council,  coincides with the National Day of Prayer – if ever our country needed prayer, it is now.

Also, a reminder about the 10th Annual Freedom 21 Conference: 

Entitled “The Growing American Tyranny and What to do About It,” this conference will be held in Midwest City, Oklahoma,  August 13 – 15, 2009, at the Reed Conference Center, in the Sheraton Midwest.

Freedom 21 is the premier conference exposing the truth about the political agenda called sustainable development, the Real ID, health freedom issues and more.  A few of this year’s speakers will include Chuck Baldwin, Marc Morano, Rep. Charles Key (OK), Rep. Sam Rohrer (PA), Former Sen. Karen Johnson (AZ), Sen. Randy Brogdon (OK), and many more. 

More information available at www.freedom21.org .  Early Bird registration ends June 15, 2009.  Register today!