Montana Legislature
Montana House Votes To Deny Federal ID Act
By Dan Testa, 1-31-07
Applause broke out in the House today after lawmakers passed the second of two bills to deny and nullify a Federal Law which increases the restrictions placed on drivers licenses.
House Bill 287, by Rep. Brady Wiseman, D-Bozeman, denies the implementation of the Federal ID Act. The bill passed with a 99-1 vote.
“Tell the nation, in no uncertain terms, that Congress has made a mistake,” Wiseman urged lawmakers, adding that he had committments from about 24 other state legislatures to consider similar legislation.
Immediately after, House Bill 384 passed with a 100-0 vote. Sponsored by, Rep. Diane Rice, R-Harrison, the bill nullifies the Real ID Law, which would require Montanans to give a minimum standard of proof of residency before getting a driver’s license.
Speaking in heated tones to her colleagues, Rep. Deborah Kottel, D-Great Falls said she hoped these votes would send a strong message to the rest of the nation.
“I hope this bill goes to the US Supreme Court,” Kottel said, “to protect us from the abuses of the federal government when it over-reaches itself.”
For more on the Federal ID act and the national implications of the Montana legislature’s vote, check out yesterday’s story in USA Today.
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Maybe the Bush Administration really is helping advance bipartisanship.
The next step should be a Citizens Privacy Act that outlaws the collecting of Social Security numbers by either government (including DMV) or business (including medical centers) as a condition of application for licenses or doing business. The SS number was promised to never be a national ID, but has become so incrementally. Credit agencies should be banned from making use of it as well, and it is the foremost cause of "identity theft", which is the fault of the government for making use of it as such.
Montana is looking so good right now, where the spirit of 1776 still lives--a state government that actually defends the constitution against domestic federal insurgents! State's rights is against being waged in a new civil war against federal despotism.