By Joe Naujokas, Naujokas & Associates

If you read my column on US Drivers Licenses/Personal ID (DL/PID in the March-April 2005 issue of Card Manufacturing), and also read recent media news on the same subject, you may have thought that Naujokas sure got this subject wrong. It took the US congress only four months to repeal the December 2004 law with a new amendment attached to the Iraqi War Funding Appropriation which is referred to as “Real ID.” The major changes were:

Responsibility for administrating DL/PID compliance with Federal law was changed from the Department of Transportation to the Department of Homeland Security.

Repeal of the DL/PID rulemaking committee composed of organizations that represent a cross section of US citizens. The specifics in the new law make the rulemaking committee unnecessary.

The detailed specification of breeder document requirements for non-citizens is restricting the states from issuing DL/PID to non-citizens. Non-citizens must produce specific documentation showing legal status to be in the USA.

As in the previous law, a state can ignore the federal requirements, but then the driver’s licenses issued by that state will not be accepted as valid ID by federal agencies.

While some may view this as another federal action to take away states rights, I view it as federal action to pass immigration control responsibility to the states. The requirements of the law essentially remake the DL/PID into a passport document.

The importance of using the DL/PID in everyday life activities is huge and becoming more important every day. We might just as well be required to carry a passport or national ID with us at all times. What do you think?

Crossroads

February 1958, Urbana, Illinois, USA—I received my Bachelor of Sciences Degree in Aeronautical Engineering. So with my wife, Joan, holding our one-month old son, Joseph, I packed up our 1955 Nash Rambler station wagon and headed down US 66 to St. Louis, Missouri to set up our home and report to my new job with McDonnell Aircraft Co. Although we had been married for nearly two years, we both felt this marked the real start of our life’s journey together. We passed through many crossroads and made many connections. Along the way, sons, Daniel, David and Alan were born into our family and later, daughters-in-law Vicki and Maria and a grandson David James joined our family.

The route we took from our hometown Chicago to our current place in life (I will spare you the details) is in itself no mystery. But, I am amazed at how many influences and decisions by others, as well as our own decisions and just plain happenings mapped a unique route that is ours alone. A different decision or influence, however small, could have just as easily led us down a totally different route and destination.

I am also amazed at the technology changes since I started my career and how they have influenced our lives, both at work and at home. As a student, all the engineering students at the University of Illinois were easily recognizable on campus by the slide rules that hung from our belts. They have now been replaced by PDA’s and wireless communications, used by all university students. I couldn’t even imagine such a thing in those days, let alone that all the students would depend on such technology. Even in the short time of my consultancy, we passed from slow desktop computers and wired facsimiles to e-mail using high speed internet, laptops and wireless PDA’s.

The technology helped speed up standards development. Instead of waiting weeks for copying and mailing documents, we can now construct the documents very quickly and distribute them nearly instantaneously. Consensus building is still a somewhat cumbersome process, but technology has quickened the pace considerably.

In closing my last column for ICMA, I am quite happy to be moving on to a new stage in life. But retirement is a two-edge sword, as I am going to also miss my colleagues in card manufacturing and standards development. Thanks to all whom have helped me along the way—you are too numerous to list here. I am especially grateful for the support from: Saint Jude, ICMA staff, board and members, ANSI & ISO standards colleagues, and my clients during the final and most enjoyable phase of my career.

I am deeply appreciative to my family who has had to make sacrifices as we passed through some major crossroads.

Words cannot describe my appreciation of the help, inspiration, guidance and support of Joan throughout this journey. The crossroads when I met her at the University of Illinois dance in 1954 marked the real start of this successful journey which I can’t imagine having taken without her. Joan is everything to me; partner, co-worker and inspiration, and even more to our children. Thankfully, we continue to be together as we pass through this crossroad.