The Department of Homeland Security has pushed back the date for requiring federally approved IDs to May 2025.
driver’s license
With federal deadline just 6 months away, more Mainers are looking for a Real ID
Starting in May, a standard Maine driver’s license won’t be accepted at airport security gates. The state is bracing for a flood of applications for the new federally compliant identification.
Maine will no longer suspend driver's licenses over unpaid fines
AUGUSTA (AP) — Maine will no longer suspend driver’s licenses over unpaid fines once a new law goes into effect. The law says until October 2021, Maine will no longer automatically suspend driver’s licenses for failure to pay fines unrelated to driving. The American Civil Liberties Union of Maine said suspending driver’s licenses make it […]
Maine to offer non-binary gender option on driver’s licenses, IDs
Maine will be the first state in New England and the third in the country to offer an option of a non-binary gender designation on driver’s licenses and identification cards. The Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles announced Monday it will begin issuing a sticker for licenses or IDs that reads “Gender has been changed to […]
Maine bills target texting while driving, learner's permits
AUGUSTA (AP) — New drivers in Maine would have to wait more months for an intermediate driver’s license under one lawmaker’s proposal. The Legislature on Tuesday will hold public hearings on bills that would tackle texting while driving and increase requirements for young drivers. Republican Rep. MaryAnne Kinney’s legislation would require people younger than 21 […]
Rep. Bruce Poliquin urges Maine to comply with Real ID law
U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin, R-Maine, speaks at the Auburn Fire Department’s 9/11 service Sept. 11, 2016. AUGUSTA — U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin is pressuring Gov. Paul LePage and the Legislature to quickly change state law to avoid what he calls a “dire situation” regarding the state’s noncompliance with federal Real ID rules. In a Friday […]
Maine scrambles to fix driver's licenses to comply with federal law
AUGUSTA — Mainers will be grounded next year if legislators don’t update driver’s licenses to comply with federal requirements. State and federal representatives are scrambling to fix the situation, which stemmed from fears over a 12-year-old federal act that critics say would create a national database of personal information. But states are starting to comply […]
Maine allows Pagan priest to wear goat horns in driver’s license photo
Maine resident Phelan Moonsong said that unless he’s sleeping or bathing, he always wears his goat horns, which serve as his spiritual antennae and help him educate others about Paganism. But Moonsong is questioning why he had to appeal his driver license’s photo to the state after explaining his religious beliefs to Bureau of Motor […]