BATON ROUGE — Louisiana senators voted to scrap a law that prohibits Louisiana from issuing driver’s licenses that comply with the security measures of the federal REAL ID act.
The Senate advanced the proposal — pushed by Gov. John Bel Edwards — to the House with a 31-7 vote Tuesday.
Supporters of the measure by Sen. Yvonne Dorsey Colomb, a Baton Rouge Democrat, worry that without REAL ID compliance, Louisiana residents could need a passport to board domestic flights starting in 2018.
Colomb’s bill would let residents decide if they want the personal document scanning and retention required for a REAL ID-compliant license.
Sen. John Milkovich, a Keithville Democrat, opposed the proposal, calling REAL ID a federal government effort to create a national database to spy on people.