State Rep. Steve Malagari Is Hosting A Town Hall Forum On Real ID Thursday In Hatfield

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, PA — A state legislator from Montgomery County will be hosting a town hall event this week for those interested in learning more about Real ID as a new deadline with regard to the federal legislation approaches.

State Rep. Steve Malagari, D-53, will host the town hall forum on Thursday beginning at 6:30 p.m. at the Hatfield Township Building at 1950 School Road in Hatfield.

The event is open to both Hatfield residents and those residents living in other nearby communities. Interested participants must register in advance.

"The pandemic has caused multiple postponements to the enforcement date for Real ID, which has contributed some confusion," Malagari said in a statement. "We're hosting this town hall to provide residents the information they need to know if they have a trip planned in the future."

According to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, enforcement of Real ID will now begin on May 3, 2023, which means anyone looking to board a domestic commercial flight or those looking to enter federal buildings or military installations must have the more secure identification cards.

PennDOT said that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security had postponed the enforcement date for Real ID from Oct. 1, 2021, to May 3, 2023, in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Real IDs are currently available to Pennsylvania residents who are ready to upgrade to the more secure ID cards.

Congress originally passed the Real ID Act back in 2005 as a response to global terrorism, and as a way to make drivers' licenses across the United States more uniform in order to be accepted by the federal government for official purposes.

Over the years, however, enforcement of the act has been postponed numerous times due to privacy rights concerns and various other issues.