mr. speaker , i thank my distinguished colleague for yielding me time . 
mr. speaker , i rise today in favor of the rule and in support of the underlying bill , the real id act . 
this is probably one of the most important bills that we will have to vote on in the 109th congress . 
the bill obviously will strengthen our borders , improve the rule of law , and protect our national security . 
it builds upon the recommendations of the 9/11 commission . 
these are things they have talked about and had recommended , and it begins to respond to the pleas of the many families who lost loved ones on that terrible day . 
it implements much needed driver 's license reform . 
now , driver 's licenses have become the primary id in the united states . 
it enables individuals to go get other identity documents , to transfer funds to u.s. bank accounts , obtain access to federal buildings and other vulnerable facilities , purchase a firearm , rent a car , board a plane , et cetera . 
so lax standards and loopholes in the current issue process allow terrorists to obtain driver 's licenses , often multiple licenses from different states , and abuse the license for identification purposes . 
the real id act corrects this . 
identification documents are the last opportunity to ensure that the people are who they say they are and to check whether they are terrorists . 
the real id act would require applicants to provide proof that they are in this country legally . 
currently , 11 states do not have such a requirement , meaning the majority of states have already recognized the need for tighter requirements and standards , but unnecessary and dangerous gaps still exist in this system . 
so that is why we need this . 
i urge my colleagues to support the rule and the bill . 
