SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah residents without a star on their state-issued driver’s licenses may soon be turned away by airport security.
The Department of Homeland Security requires Utah drivers’ licenses to have a little gold star on the top right corner, the Deseret News reported.
The missing star threatens the Utah cards’ status as approved identification to board commercial flights.
Utah Driver License Division Director Chris Caras told a legislative panel Tuesday that the issue was caused by a card design flaw.
Homeland security officers informed Caras of the potential issue earlier this month.
Transportation Safety Administration employees don’t recognize licenses from noncompliant states, Cara said. For now, the Department of Homeland Security hasn’t taken Utah off its list.
“We’re very concerned about that, because we feel the citizens have met their obligation for that,” he said. “Really, it is a card design issue, but it’s a critical card design issue.”
Fixing the issue could cost the state more than $3 million, Caras said.
Caras said he will pitch a corrective plan and ask for two years to work through the changes.
Utah will also need to pass a measure that would repeal a piece of law that prohibits Cara’s agency from printing new IDs to meet the requirement.
Sen. Wayne Harper is a part of such an effort.
“We want our people to be able to move and to travel as they choose,” the Taylorsville Republican said Tuesday.
If the proposal is rejected and Utah is found noncompliant, Utah travelers may need to bring a passport or some other form of acceptable ID with them to the airport.
