White House ambivalent toward national driver’s license system

State officials are asking for federal support to speed creation of a national driver's license system. But President Bush, according to Administration officials, rejected suggestions for a national identification system that many on the right feel represents Big Government. And John D. Ashcroft, during his years in the Senate, opposed expanding search rights for police and creating more-powerful databases.

After September 11, however, now-Attorney General Ashcroft--along with President Bush--successfully pushed Congress to approve a wide expansion of police powers.

The administration's ambivalent position on high-tech data collection gives some assurance to opponents of the proposed national license, who fear it may evolve into a full-fledged national ID card. It "goes against the core American value of freedom of movement, liberty, and anonymity in transactions," says Mihir Kshirsagar, a policy fellow at the Washington-based Electronic Privacy Information Center. Also, "the potential for abuse and theft becomes much worse" because such a license could be used in so many transactions, he said.

In mid-January, officials at the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators announced plans to develop high-tech driver's licenses that will make it easier for states to share data on motorists. According to Linda Lewis, chief executive officer of the AAMVA, the cards will help prevent crimes, among them the use of an out-of-state license to conceal a bad driving record.

Advocates of the new licenses also say the cards could contribute to the anti-terrorism campaign. For example, states could coordinate their databases, to make it more difficult for terrorists to get driver's licenses. The system could also ensure the automatic expiration of a license when the holder's visa expires.

The new system, said Lewis, would build on two federally mandated computer systems already in operation: One records basic data on all vehicles; the other tracks license approvals for drivers of commercial vehicles, such as hazardous-materials trucks.

To build the broader system, Lewis said, AAMVA would need money and a mandate from Washington. The mandate would allow AAMVA to act as a regulatory, standard-setting group. Moreover, she said, states collectively would need an extra $100 million over the next five years to knit their databases together. AAMVA is seeking support from the Justice and Transportation departments, and from the White House's Office of Homeland Security, Lewis added.

So far, AAMVA has won backing from Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Ill. But there's no sign of support from the Administration. The AAMVA proposal "does raise privacy concerns that need to be addressed.... We will focus now on enforcing existing laws before taking another step," said Gordon Johndroe, a spokesman for the Office of Homeland Security. The proposal "is an issue that we will be looking at,"; said Paul Takemoto, a spokesman for the Transportation Security Administration. And the Justice Department, a spokesman said, is "reviewing it as a policy issue."

Ashcroft's record indicates that the AAMVA will have to work to get his support; in December, he announced that he would not allow federal law enforcement officials to share data gathered during background checks of prospective gun buyers.

Opponents of the new license system can count on support from various privacy groups and from some prominent legislators, such as Reps. Ron Paul, R-Texas, and Bob Barr, R-Ga. They can also count on broad public suspicion of data collection by government.