States have until May 11 to comply with Real ID requirements, but Arizona is unlikely to make the “soft” deadline.
Instead, Arizona is poised to opt out of the federal act. A bill is working its way through the Legislature that would prohibit the state from complying with the 2005 federal Real ID Act.
The House passed the bill (H2677) introduced by Rep. Judy Burges of District 4, on March 19. A Senate panel subsequently approved it on April 2.   
Its next stop is the Senate floor, where it has already received preliminary approval and is expected to get bipartisan support on third reading. A similar proposal got comfortable support in the Senate last year, but that bill did not make it to the House floor.
During floor deliberation on May 1, one senator tried to amend the bill to allow Arizona to implement Real ID — but only if Congress fully funds it. The amendment was defeated, with lawmakers saying that regardless of whether Congress provides funding for the measure, it should not be imposed on states. They also said Real ID is unacceptable, regardless of whether there is federal money to implement it.       
Opposition to Real ID centers on two points: It intrudes on people’s privacy rights, and it is an unfunded mandate. The federal law has made unlikely allies of conservative groups and civil rights activists, as well as Arizona lawmakers on the opposite ends of the political spectrum.
Sen. Karen Johnson, a vocal critic of Real ID, said it is “tyrannical.” “If ever there was Big Brother watching over us and following every action that we have, that’s what this is part of. That’s what this is bringing,” she said.
Johnson also said Arizona is facing a budgetary crisis and that it will be difficult to find money to implement the program.
The Real ID Act of 2005 creates a national standard for the issuance of state driver’s licenses and intends to bolster security requirements at airports and government buildings in response to terrorism.
States are not required to participate in the act, but if they don’t, the driver’s licenses and other identification cards they issue will not be accepted for official purposes by the federal government, such as when entering federal facilities or boarding federally regulated commercial planes. Residents of non-participating states can present other forms of identification, such as a U.S. passport or a military ID.
Rules adopted by the Department of Homeland Security allow for a staggered implementation timeline, although the provisions of Real ID take effect on May 11. DHS has recognized that states cannot fully meet the requirements by May and has granted extensions for states that requested them. The extension is good until Dec. 31, 2009. Also, states that meet certain benchmarks will automatically get a second extension — until May 11, 2011.
Arizona was granted an extension to Dec. 31, 2009, comply with the federal law.