TSA Sends Real ID Proposed Rule to OMB

Yesterday, the OMB’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) announced that it had received a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) from the TSA on “REAL ID Phased Approach for Card-Based Enforcement”.

This rulemaking was not listed in the Fall 2023 Unified Agenda, so there is no official public statement about the purpose of this potential rulemaking. Current TSA regulations {6 CFR 37.5(b)} state that:

“On or after May 7, 2025, Federal agencies shall not accept a driver’s license or identification card for official purposes from any individual unless such license or card is a REAL ID–compliant driver’s license or identification card issued by a State that has been determined by DHS to be in full compliance as defined under this subpart.”

While that date has been pushed back a couple of times now, I suspect that this rulemaking is going to deal with how that ‘new’ requirement is going to be ‘phased in’.