The fiasco that is Real ID — the unworkable 2005 law born out of a 9/11 Commission recommendation — is getting a much-needed makeover.

The Real ID program has a reasonable goal: to ensure that ID cards like state-issued driver’s licenses are not awarded without solid confirmation of the recipient’s identity, residence and legal status.
The motive behind Real ID is also clear. The 9/11 hijackers found it far too easy to fraudulently obtain 17 driver’s licenses (including a few duplicates) and 13 state-issued identifications, allowing them to travel within the U.S., rent cars, take flying lessons and yes, board airplanes.
But elements of Real ID have proved too costly and impractical, prompting more than half the states, including Hawaii, to protest. In 2007, Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann testified before Congress against Real ID, citing the cost.
Worse yet, many states have dragged their feet or simply refused to implement Real ID. The result: A security program that does little to enhance security.
A modified version, introduced by Hawaii Sen. Daniel Akaka and Ohio Sen. George Voinovich on Monday, would make it easier for states to implement the program’s basic goals. The Pass ID plan would eliminate certain onerous and unfunded mandates, such as establishing a national database and costly verification systems for local DMVs.
States could phase in Pass ID based on their normal schedule of driver’s license renewals, lessening the complications of a single, nationwide deadline.
Still, an individual seeking a Pass ID-certified driver’s license or state identification card — needed to enter a federal facility or easily board an airplane — would have to provide documented proof of identity, age, Social Security number and current address. States would have to validate the source documents and store copies of them for future reference if needed.
Of course, concerns about the program remain. Air travelers — like the millions of Mainland tourists who pass through Hawaiçi — could still board an airplane without the enhanced ID; but they would have to go through secondary screening.
There would be more costs with Pass ID, albeit offset by federal grant money. And there’s no such thing as a guaranteed fraud-proof security system.
Nonetheless, Pass ID attempts, in a practical way, to improve public safety. That’s worth a closer look.