OLYMPIA — The federal government has granted Washington state a temporary extension from enforcement of tough new requirements for proof of U.S. residency for driver’s licenses and other government-sanctioned ID.
The state Department of Licensing received the letter granting the request on Friday morning. The letter from the Department of Homeland Security, obtained by The Associated Press, says that the state’s extension will run through Oct. 10.
The REAL ID law, which has had several implementation delays, has started restricting access to some facilities within the past year and, no sooner than 2016, will require the compliant licenses for boarding commercial aircraft. The most recent deadline — affecting access to semi-restricted areas of secure federal buildings — took effect at the start of this past week.
State officials have proposed a plan to create a two-tiered licensing system.
