- Homeland Security and Standardized ID Cards: States will have to spend at least $11 billion over the next five years to comply with the federal Real ID Act, which created national standards for issuing state driver's licenses and identification cards. "We say 'at least,'" said NCSL in a release, "because, to date, the federal government has not issued regulations and has appropriated only $40 million for state implementation, despite giving states a May 11, 2008 deadline to meet the non-existent standards. Faced with no regulations and very little federal funds, state legislatures will need to decide what steps to take this session to comply or not comply with Real ID."
- Information on Sexual Offenders and Predators: Congressional approval of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 calls on states to meet requirements on how information about sex offenders is collected and shared with other states, as well as strengthening penalties for failure to register as a sex offender. As new regulations and directives are announced by the U.S. Attorney General, states will have to react to make sure their laws comply or risk reduction in federal funding of related programs. Also, state legislators continue to look at ways to protect minors from online predators.
- Privacy: Numerous media reports in 2006 focused on the loss or theft of private or government computers that held sensitive personal information on customers, employees and other individuals. The Identity Theft Resource Center estimates there were 192 security breaches just through October, after recording 158 breaches affecting nearly 65 million people in 2005. At least 34 states have enacted legislation requiring disclosure when records are compromised. Expect more attention on this issue, as well as other privacy concerns such as identity theft, Internet and e-mail scams and credit card and Social Security number protection.
State Legislatures Group Releases List of Hot Topics for 2007
"To date, the federal government has not issued regulations and has appropriated only $40 million for state implementation, despite giving states a May 11, 2008 deadline to meet the non-existent standards."
The National Conference of State Legislatures yesterday released its Top 10 Policy Issue Forecast for 2007 which include the following IT-related items:
