Maine says 'No' to Real ID Act
Legal News Center
[##_1L|1115888411.jpg|width="90" height="119" alt=""|_##]Both the Maine House of Representatives and Senate approved a joint resolution Thursday refusing to implement the federal Real ID Act. The resolution had broad support across both parties, with the House of Representatives approving the resolution 137-4 and the Senate 34-0. The federal act, scheduled to take effect in 2008, mandates that state governments require birth certificates or similar documentation and also consult national immigration databases before issuing IDs, which will have to comply with standards established by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
The Real ID Act is facing similar state legislative oppositions in Georgia, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Montana, New Hampshire, and Washington. The Bush administration has repeatedly endorses the act, saying that it will discourage illegal immigration and make it more difficult for terrorists to fraudulently obtain US driver's licenses and other government IDs.
State lawmakers, governors, and privacy advocates have express concerns about implementing the federal law, with many objecting to the expensive undertaking required for state compliance and privacy concerns associated with the federal requirements. In December 2005, the National Governor's Association, the National Conference of State Legislatures, and the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, collectively released a report concluding that states are unprepared to implement the law and may need up to eight years to acquire the resources and time to successfully enact the legislation.
Related listings
-
Lawmakers react to president’s speech
Legal News Center 01/24/2007U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, said Tuesday that President Bush’s State of the Union address was bipartisan in both approach and appeal."I think the president understands, for him to get something done in the next two years, he is going to have ...
-
US House votes to strip felon lawmakers of pensions
Legal News Center 01/23/2007The US House of Representatives unanimously passed a bill Tuesday to deny retirement pensions to any member of Congress "convicted of any of certain offenses," including fraud, bribery and perjury. Currently, federal lawmakers can only be stripped of...
-
Libby trial jury selected for CIA leak case
Legal News Center 01/22/2007[##_1L|1064760577.jpg|width="110" height="126" alt=""|_##]A twelve-person jury was selected Monday to sit in the CIA leak trial of former vice presidential aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby. Even though jury selection began last Tuesday and was supposed ...
Grounds for Divorce in Ohio - Sylkatis Law, LLC
A divorce in Ohio is filed when there is typically “fault” by one of the parties and party not at “fault” seeks to end the marriage. A court in Ohio may grant a divorce for the following reasons:
• Willful absence of the adverse party for one year
• Adultery
• Extreme cruelty
• Fraudulent contract
• Any gross neglect of duty
• Habitual drunkenness
• Imprisonment in a correctional institution at the time of filing the complaint
• Procurement of a divorce outside this state by the other party
Additionally, there are two “no-fault” basis for which a court may grant a divorce:
• When the parties have, without interruption for one year, lived separate and apart without cohabitation
• Incompatibility, unless denied by either party
However, whether or not the the court grants the divorce for “fault” or not, in Ohio the party not at “fault” will not get a bigger slice of the marital property.