State complies on driver’s licenses

Gov. John Baldacci signed into law a measure making proof of legal U.S. residency a requirement for getting a state driver’s license.

The federal Department of Homeland Security had been pressing for the requirement to bring the state into compliance with the Real ID Act of 2005.

The governor said the law would help ensure residents won’t be put through extra security screening when they board airplanes or go to federal buildings. But he said it did not contain all elements of the federal Real ID program, including a requirement that the state share its driver’s license information with a federal database.