With States Resisting Compliance, Feds Extend Real ID Deadline

But this time, they really, really mean it

Only 13 states issue driver's licenses that comply with the federal Real ID law, but states that do not will have at least six months to bring their licenses up to those standards, the Department of Homeland Security announced last month.

This is the fourth time the federal government has given states more time to comply with Real ID, even though agency officials told a U.S. House panel last spring there would be no further extensions.

Technically, states that still do not comply with the Real ID law will get a waiver, rather than an extension. Even states that did not submit paperwork showing their progress in complying with the law will get a waiver. The waivers will last at least six months, as the Obama administration writes rules for a gradual enforcement of the law.