PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll held a virtual media update on REAL ID.
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00:01Good morning, everyone. It's a pleasure to be here.
00:04I'm Mike Carroll, the PennDOT Secretary,
00:06and we're here today to talk about REAL ID
00:09and to answer some of your questions.
00:11Starting May the 7th,
00:13if you don't have a REAL ID, driver's license, or ID card,
00:16a passport, or a military ID,
00:19you will not be able to board a domestic flight.
00:22To date, more than 27 percent,
00:24about 2.7 million Pennsylvanians, have gotten the REAL ID.
00:29Getting a REAL ID is optional,
00:31but if you want to continue using your driver's license or ID card
00:34to fly domestically, you'll need a REAL ID on or after May the 7th.
00:40So, especially if you have flights booked for after May 7th
00:44and you don't have a REAL ID or a passport,
00:46you need to gather your documents
00:48and come visit one of our driver's license centers.
00:51You can find out exactly what you need on our website, pa.gov slash REAL ID.
00:57Our team works really hard to serve our customers quickly and efficiently,
01:01but we are seeing increased customer volumes at our driver's license centers
01:05as we get closer and closer to the May 7th deadline.
01:08We know that has led to longer wait times for customers,
01:12which can be frustrating.
01:14REAL IDs have been available in Pennsylvania for over six years,
01:17and they're still available after enforcement by TSA begins on May the 7th.
01:22So, if you don't have immediate travel plans or already have a valid passport,
01:27maybe hold off for a few months until the rush dies down.
01:31Now, I know that there are a few questions submitted in advance,
01:34and I'm happy to answer those questions now.
01:37Thank you, Secretary.
01:40What specific steps is PennDOT taking to ensure that all Pennsylvanians,
01:44especially those in rural or underserved areas,
01:47have access to the documents and services required to obtain a REAL ID before the May 7th deadline?
01:53So, our driver's license centers have added Monday hours at 57 centers across the state
01:58just to do REAL IDs, just on Mondays.
02:01So, at this point, we're open every day of the week except for Sunday.
02:05Those Monday hours will continue, excepting Easter Monday for the foreseeable future.
02:10I know that sometimes gathering the documents can be complicated.
02:14The first thing, of course, to do is to check the website to determine what you need.
02:18You may have to get a duplicate Social Security card,
02:20which would require an interaction with the Social Security Administration.
02:23You may need documents from your county courthouse to prove marriages and divorces and such,
02:29and, of course, a birth certificate from the state where you were born.
02:32Again, check the website. That's the most important thing.
02:35PennDOT will do their best to make sure that you have the right documents
02:38if you're waiting in a line so that you don't spend an hour or two in line
02:42and not have the right documents.
02:44We're going to try and triage that line as much as possible.
02:46You know, human nature has put us where we are.
02:49People wait till the last minute to get the REAL ID.
02:52It's the last minute, and, you know, everybody's had a chance to do this
02:56over the course of the last five years, but a lot of people have waited till the last minute.
03:00I understand that it's human nature.
03:02If you have a passport or if you're not going to travel until June,
03:06probably the smart thing to do is wait until after May the 7th
03:09so the lines aren't as bad at the driver's license centers.
03:12And then, finally, if you're going to go to the driver's license center for a normal transaction
03:16that you could do online or via the mail, maybe that would be a smart thing to do
03:20so you're not stuck in the line with the REAL ID people.
03:24Thanks. Another document question.
03:26If someone is married and changes their name and then goes back to their maiden name,
03:30are there any additional documents that they would need to bring?
03:33The smart thing to do is check the website.
03:35You know, the name on the birth certificate, if that's the name that you have now,
03:39likely that would be the document that's positively necessary.
03:42But when it comes to name changes, you have to reconcile the name on the birth certificate
03:47with the Social Security card, so there's some nuance there.
03:51The smart thing to do is to check the website, look at your Social Security card,
03:54look at your birth certificate.
03:56Those are the two foundational documents.
03:58And then the other documents that you need would be, you know,
04:01in support of the name that's on your Social Security card and your birth certificate.
04:07Thanks.
04:08What is the contingency plan for residents who are unable to secure a REAL ID before the deadline
04:14due to long wait times, documentation issues, or other barriers?
04:18Well, the May 7th deadline is a TSA deadline for boarding commercial flights.
04:23PennDOT will continue to issue REAL IDs long after May the 7th.
04:27So if you don't have travel plans, you know, in the immediate future,
04:31the smart thing to do is probably wait until after May the 7th
04:34and come to our driver's license centers with the documents that you need to get the REAL ID.
04:38But the May 7th deadline is a TSA deadline for boarding commercial flights, not a PennDOT deadline.
04:46How is PennDOT coordinating with other state agencies, local governments, or community organizations
04:52to increase public awareness and education around REAL ID requirements?
04:56Well, I think at this point the REAL ID conversation is in the public realm.
05:00Because of the number of events PennDOT has had and the visibility that we've tried to generate across the state
05:06in coordination with our airport partners and AAA, for example, we've elevated the conversation.
05:12So I think at this point many people know of the deadline and the requirement.
05:16And it's exhibited by the lines at our driver's center, which are, you know, admittedly long at this point.
05:21You know, we at PennDOT have tried our best to make sure that people understood this deadline was approaching.
05:27And as I said, you know, people have had five years to do this.
05:30And, you know, a lot of people have waited until the last minute.
05:33Again, I get it. It's just how people, you know, busy lives and they don't have time to go to the driver's center.
05:38But this is a federal requirement. This is not a requirement that Pennsylvania government imposed on anybody.
05:43This is a federal requirement that affects all 50 states.
05:46And so we're all in the same boat here when it comes to the requirement that is a federal requirement.
05:52Thank you. What metrics or data does PennDOT currently have on how many residents still need to obtain a REAL ID?
05:59And how does the department plan to close that gap in the next couple of weeks?
06:03Well, we're going to continue to meet the need with our driver's license centers being open on Mondays at the 57 centers across the state.
06:10Our driver centers will continue their normal hours as they would.
06:14You know, there's no way for PennDOT to know how many people have the other document that you may need primarily a passport to be able to board a commercial flight.
06:23You know, there's a smaller small passport.
06:26So there's no way for us to know how many.
06:28And there's a universe of Pennsylvania that say I'll never fly and I don't need to fool around with this and not get it.
06:34My only concern there is that the person that says I never fly, I've never flown in my life,
06:38something may happen in their life a month from now or two months from now or a year from now,
06:42and then they're not going to be able to board that commercial flight because they don't have the REAL ID.
06:45So again, I think it's imperative that everybody consider it, and I strongly encourage folks to get it if they don't have it already.
06:53Thank you. And then this is the final question.
06:57Will there be any temporary grace periods, exceptions, or accommodations for vulnerable populations like seniors or individuals with disabilities after federal enforcement begins?
07:08So the TSA issued some guidance this weekend, and it sounds like the answer to that is no,
07:13that the May 7th deadline is a firm deadline that TSAs are going to impose.
07:17Again, it's not PennDOT's choice to have this grace period, it's TSA's choice.
07:21They're the ones that check the documents at the airport.
07:24We're all familiar with the TSA lines.
07:26So from everything I know and from the guidance provided by TSA this weekend, there's no grace period.
07:32May 7th is quickly approaching.
07:37And that's the last of our questions.