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 .  