mr. chairman , i thank my colleague for yielding time to me . 
i rise today to raise serious concerns with some of the provisions in h.r. 418 that have not been thoroughly considered , in large part because the bill was not considered by our committee . 
no matter what our views are on immigration , states ' rights or a national id , my colleagues should carefully review the driver 's license requirements of h.r. 418 . 
simply stated , the bill imposes costly new requirements on states that simply can not be achieved in 3 years allotted by the bill ; and while states may attempt to comply , the bill 's unreasonable deadlines and inadequate funding will create confusion and frustrate the public . 
congress previously recognized that states should play an integral role in implementing new driver 's license standards . 
that is why the 9/11 legislation that we passed just 2 months ago directed the department of homeland security to consult with the states first and then issue appropriate regulations . 
h.r. 418 repeals this sound regulatory approach and leaves the states without a voice . 
one of the biggest problem areas is that the bill requires state departments of motor vehicles to verify the issuance , validity , and completeness of birth certificates with issuing agencies . 
currently , birth certificates are not issued or maintained in a uniform manner . 
states , counties , cities and localities all across the country issue birth certificates . 
in fact , experts estimate that up to 14 , 000 jurisdictions within the united states currently issue birth certificates . 
many of these jurisdictions do not have automated records but keep paper copies at the local courthouse . 
even if they were to begin automated records of new births , they would still need to automate millions of preexisting birth certificates . 
h.r. 418 also requires states to verify the issuance , validity and completeness of various other documents with various federal agencies that do not yet have fully automated systems in place . 
these requirements will be expensive and time-consuming . 
ultimately the databases will be built that will allow states to conduct rapid verification of these birth certificates and other documents ; but in most states and localities , they do not currently exist , and the experts say it will take a whole lot longer than 3 years to create them . 
that is why the bill is opposed by the states . 
it is opposed by the national governors association , the national conference of state legislatures and even the dmv trade association , the american association of motor vehicle administrators . 
the best timeline estimate from state dmvs is that will take 10 to 12 years for all of the required automation to occur . 
yet h.r. 418 requires verification within just 3 years . 
in the meantime , what will happen ? 
states will not be able to issue same-day driver 's licenses , the public will be frustrated , and homeland security will not be advanced . 
in addition to the unworkable nature of the driver 's license provisions in this bill , i want to raise my deep concern about section 102 of this legislation . 
this section provides the secretary of homeland security the authority to waive any law for the purposes of building immigration barriers along the border . 
i do not understand why we need to provide the administration with unilateral authority to waive labor laws , state and local laws , environmental laws , tax codes and criminal laws . 
this does not apply just in san diego . 
it applies throughout the nation . 
i am sad to say this bill presents a dangerous new precedent . 
the federal government has never before had unilateral authority to waive child labor laws , civil rights laws , and environmental laws . 
for republican members who want to rein in the unchecked authority of the federal government , they might want to carefully examine this provision , which expands it enormously . 
i urge my colleagues to oppose the legislation . 
