Washington Senate Approves REAL ID Compliance Bill

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — The Senate has approved a measure that seeks to bring Washington state into compliance with federal identification requirements.

Senate Bill 5008 passed on a 45-4 vote and now heads the House for consideration.

For years, lawmakers have struggled on how to best comply with the REAL ID Act, a 2005 federal law that requires state driver's licenses and ID cards to have security enhancements and be issued to people who can prove they're legally in the United States.

Washington is among just a handful of states that are not compliant with the law and don't have an extension from the federal government, meaning that starting in January 2018, they'll be required to show additional documentation for domestic air travel unless the Legislature acts.