Today, in Minnesota and Michigan, new bills highlight rising bipartisan resistance to the federal ID mandate.
ST. PAUL, Minn. — A growing number of state legislators across the country are pushing back against the federal REAL ID Act, citing concerns over privacy, federal overreach, control, and the creeping expansion of a surveillance-based ID system. On May 7, legislation is being introduced in both Minnesota and Michigan, joining a wave of resistance forming in states such as Arizona, Kentucky, Maine, Montana, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee.
Today, in Minnesota, Senator Eric Lucero (R-Saint Michael) and a bipartisan group of coauthors are preparing to introduce legislation to repeal REAL ID compliance, SF 3492, following the House introduction of HF 3284, authored by Representative Shane Mekeland (R-Clear Lake) and co-authored by Representative Burkel, Lawrence, Dippel, Dotseth, Roach, and Altendorf.
“I have opposed REAL ID my entire time in the Legislature because of the unconstitutional federal compliance mandates,” said Senator Eric Lucero (R-Saint Michael). “REAL ID is not just about identification—it’s about control. REAL ID paves the way for a centralized system of surveillance that undermines our privacy, erodes state sovereignty, and forces citizens to trade liberty for access. Now is the time for states to stand together and stop REAL ID.”
In Michigan, Representative Jim DeSana (R-Ash Township) is leading a similar charge with new legislation introduced today. While both bills face end-of-session procedural hurdles, their introduction reflects a growing national resistance to the federal program.
“REAL ID violates our Constitutional rights. It violates the 10th Amendment by infringing on the jurisdiction of individual states,” said Representative DeSana. “In addition, a digitized National ID can quickly and easily enable a global ID system, vaccine passports, and a social credit system.”
With federal enforcement beginning, and state legislators increasingly recognizing the long-term risks of Real ID, momentum for repeal is building.
“The enforcement of REAL ID is a classic example of boiling the frog slowly,” said Matt Flanders, Legislative and Policy Director at Citizens’ Council for Health Freedom. “REAL ID was quietly slipped into a must-pass war-time appropriations bill in 2005, and although there was strong bipartisan opposition at the time, federal agencies have used fear tactics, deceptive messaging, and financial carrots to chip away at resistance. Two decades later, most states are in near-total compliance with a national ID system the American people never truly consented to.”
Citizens’ Council for Health Freedom is encouraging policymakers and the public alike to refuse the REAL ID to stop a federal digital ID from becoming normalized and entrenched in American life.
To learn more or join the fight, visit www.RefuseREALID.org
For additional information contact Alexandra de Scheel media@cchfreedom.org.
