New rules of the road

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Pat Angel, 68, is frustrated with the Oregon DMV's new identification rules that require specific documentation to prove citizen status.Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell

Pat Angel's 73-year-old husband is a U.S. citizen, served in the military and has a valid driver's license from Tennessee.

When the newly arrived Medford residents went to the Oregon Driver and Motor Vehicle Services Division recently, they discovered he couldn't get an Oregon license because he didn't have the right documentation.

Angel, whose frustrated husband didn't want his name revealed, found out the hard way about the new rules that began July 1, designed to help screen out illegal aliens and prevent forgery and identity theft.

Local citizens may find a formerly straightforward process has turned complicated under the new rules.

"This is dumb, here," said 68-year-old Angel, whose blood pressure has shot up because of the move as well as dealing with the red tape. "Do I look like an illegal alien?"

Her husband also just got out of the hospital.

The new rules require proof of citizenship or lawful presence in the U.S. and official documents to verify a Social Security number. Because of the changes, the DMV has added an additional $4.50 to process the new driver's licenses. The renewal fee is $39 and a new driver's license is $59.

If any of the requirements aren't met or if the verification process finds something amiss, a driver's license won't be issued.

"People think it just affects illegal aliens, but that it won't affect them," said David House, DMV spokesman.

Generally, two documents would be required under the new rules. Either a passport or birth certificate along with a Social Security card would have enough information to establish identity and citizenship.

But if the name, date of birth or number varies from the one on file with Social Security, it will be up to the customer to resolve the issue. House said there have been problems in 3 percent of cases since the Social Security verification process began in February.

"The vast majority of people don't seem to have any problems," he said.

Before the DMV started verifying Social Security numbers, it turned away 2.5 people a day throughout the state for having some kind of false address or fake documentation. Law enforcement was called out about once a day to deal with forgeries, but that number has dropped to about once a week under the new rules.

The DMV will be phasing in facial recognition this year. Other changes are coming as Oregon moves toward fulfilling requirements of the REAL ID Act of 2005 that would create identity cards that will be required for airline flights, entering federal buildings and nuclear power plants. It could also provide more information for law enforcement agencies throughout the country.

If a woman gets married and adopts a new name, she will have to produce both her birth certificate and a government-issued marriage certificate.

Deena Brugnoli-Willits, customer service manager at the Medford and Ashland branches of the DMV, said she's changed her name twice because of marriage, so she applied for a passport because it was the easiest way of resolving the issue. "I was lucky to know of the rules," she said.

Brugnoli-Willits said a higher percentage of customers have not been able to receive their driver's licenses because of unfamiliarity with the new rules.

She said it is particularly difficult for those who try to bring in military paperwork. "We have to turn them away," she said.

House said a current U.S. passport or other documents supplied by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security would establish proof of citizenship, show lawful presence in the U.S. and provide a full legal name and date of birth.

Previously, driver's licenses were issued immediately. Now, because of verification processes, facial recognition software and other safeguards, driver's licenses will be sent out from a central location.

Not everyone was surprised by the new rules.

"I just assumed things had changed," said Medford resident Chad Pitman, who brought his 15-year-old daughter, Samantha, to the DMV to get her instruction permit.

"We got everything we needed," said Pitman, 38.

They brought her passport, Social Security number, birth certificate and utility bill. But the father and daughter forgot to bring a certificate of enrollment from South Medford High. Proof of enrollment in school, completion or exemption is required of first-time drivers.

While Pitman was clear on what he needed, Pat Angel said she was unsure. "I don't know what they want," she said. "They want a lot of things that are difficult to get when you're just in the hospital."

Angel said she only has one more day to get the documents together or her husband's driver's license will no longer be valid in Oregon. "He has one more day or he's illegal," she said.

Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476 or dmann@mailtribune.com.

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