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There is a new change in US airport security 1:18
Washington (CNN) - The deadline to obtain a REAL ID - a federally required identification that will be needed for passengers to board planes - will run until at least September 2021, one year after the current deadline, according to a preliminary version of the Senate stimulus bill obtained by CNN.
Before the coronavirus pandemic spread across the United States, states were preparing to grant residents "REAL ID-compliant" driver's licenses or identification before the October 1 deadline.
- Everyone is unlikely to have a REAL ID by the October deadline, according to acting secretary of homeland security.
As of last month, only about 35% of U.S. identifications complied with the REAL ID Act, a post-September 11 law that sets security standards for licenses. Once in effect, travelers flying commercially in the country must have a REAL ID, which is marked with a star at the top of the card.
- Most Americans will need a new document to travel starting in October
Even before the outbreak, all states were unlikely to meet the deadline. Last month, Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf told lawmakers that the possibility that all states could issue their voters a REAL ID by October 2020 was "probably pretty small."
The Department of Homeland Security, which is responsible for the identification program, is evaluating options regarding the new deadline, a department official told CNN.
- Priscilla Alvarez and Maegan Vazquez contributed to this story.
REAL ID