The state has been awarded nearly $756,000 under the federal Driver's License Security Grant Program.

The initiative was formerly known as the REAL ID Grant program.

U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye said it strives to combat terrorism and to reduce fraud by improving the reliability and accuracy of drivers' licenses and other identification documents issued by state governments.

The Hawai'i Democrat said that in the post-9/11 world, government-issued identification cards are essential documents.

Inouye says it's essential to take steps to ensure the ID documents are legitimate and not counterfeits.

The amount awarded to Hawai'i is based on the total number of drivers' licenses and identification cards issued in each state. For fiscal year 2009, Hawai'i will receive $755,987