Maine firefighters are missing out on a training opportunity at the National Fire Academy this year because the state is not in compliance with a decade-old federal ID law regulating state-issued driver’s licenses.
Maine is among 23 states and five U.S. territories not in compliance with the Real ID Act, and the Legislature in 2007 passed a law prohibiting the state from complying with law amid concerns that it would create a de facto “internal passport.” On Jan. 30, some federal agencies stopped accepting Maine-issued driver’s licenses from those entering certain secure facilities, such as nuclear power plants, the U.S. mint and military bases.