Report: Minnesota ID upgrade may cost $5M

Published 10:18 am Friday, April 15, 2016

ST. PAUL — The state of Minnesota may have to pay up to $5 million to upgrade driver’s licenses to satisfy new federal requirements and eliminate worries about disrupted flights, according to a report a state agency released Thursday.

The report from the Department of Public Safety notes no problems with implementing a new driver’s license by this fall that complies with the federal Real ID Act. Federal officials have said they won’t start turning away travelers without the federally-compliant cards from domestic flights until October 2020, but legislative leaders have pushed to get a new system in place this year so residents can get their upgraded IDs within the normal, four-year renewal period.

But the speedy timeline comes with a price: between $4.3 million and $5.1 million, plus ongoing annual costs of running the new program.

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