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WPCNR SECURITY NEWS. From Department of Homeland Security. January 13, 2008: The following is a question and answer discussion prepared by the Department of Homeland Security on the Final REAL I.D. guidelines released Friday.  The new regulations require that by 2014, a person wishing to board an airliner or enter a government building would have to present a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license — if you are under 50. By 2017, over-50s would also be required to carry a REAL ID.

Some factoids — Your driver’s license photo would be taken at time of application to avoid reapplying elsewhere with false documents.

All states are expected to begin to check social security numbers and immigration status of those applying for drivers licenses.

The Q and A’s as they appear on the Department of Homeland Security Website.

REAL ID Final Rule: Questions & Answers

What is REAL ID?
REAL ID is a nationwide effort to improve the integrity and security of State-issued driver’s licenses and identification cards, which in turn will help fight terrorism and reduce fraud.

Where did this effort originate?
The 9/11 Commission recommended that the U.S. improve its system for issuing identification documents.  In the Commission’s words, “At many entry points to vulnerable facilities, including gates for boarding aircraft, sources of identification are the last opportunity to ensure that people are who they say they are and to check whether they are terrorists.”  The Commission specifically urged the Federal government to “set standards for the issuance of sources of identification, such as driver’s licenses.”  Congress responded to this key recommendation by passing the REAL ID Act of 2005.

Why do we need REAL ID?
State-issued driver’s licenses serve many purposes in today’s society, including being the primary identifier for individuals attempting to access a Federal facility, board Federally-regulated commercial aircraft and enter nuclear power plants.  Terrorists know this, and actively seek this form of identification.  For example, eighteen of the nineteen 9/11 hijackers used driver’s licenses or similar identification to board planes which they used to kill thousands of innocent civilians.  Many of these credentials were obtained through fraudulent means.  

Additionally, these documents provided the terrorists with cover to operate freely within the United States by allowing them to open bank accounts to draw down funding, rent places to live, rent cars and board planes.  Having secure identification is an important step toward enhancing national security.  As Secretary Chertoff continues to emphasize, and as supported by the latest National Intelligence Estimate, Al Qaeda will “intensify” its efforts to place operatives inside the United States, reinforcing the need for more secure driver’s licenses and state identification cards.  This REAL ID rulemaking will make it more difficult for nefarious individuals to obtain these documents through fraudulent means, and will also make it easier for law enforcement to detect documents that have been falsified. In so doing, this rulemaking provides an invaluable new tool to help prevent terrorism and protect our nation.

Will REAL ID reduce identity theft?
Yes. REAL ID will help cut down on identity theft. The program accomplishes this by establishing layers of security to ensure that identity documents only go to the people they actually belong to. This is achieved through increased security, including: physical security features on the credential itself; tightening DMV practices and procedures for the production and issuance of the documents (security plans and background checks for employees, for example); and verifying the information presented on source documents presented at the time of application through enhanced verification systems. REAL ID also mandates that a State cannot issue a REAL ID license to a person who holds a license issued by another State or to an individual who already holds a REAL ID card. REAL ID will make it more difficult to steal other people’s identities and use them to obtain driver’s licenses. 

Nefarious individuals attempt to obtain multiple licenses or use multiple identities, and States are challenged in combating these abuses. REAL ID will make it easier for States to reduce this kind of identity theft and identity fraud. From 2000 to 2006 there was a 791% increase in identity theft in the U.S. In 2005 alone, identity theft cost U.S. households $64 billion of which 28% involved a driver’s license. That is why a recent poll conducted by Public Opinion Strategies found that 82% of Americans favor new rules and regulations that strengthen driver’s license issuance to combat terrorism and identity theft.

Can States issue REAL IDs to illegal aliens?
No. The Act specifies that States must verify an applicant’s lawful status in the United States before issuing a REAL ID license or card.  The Act does not prohibit States from issuing other, non-compliant, forms of driver’s licenses and State identification. However, non-compliant REAL IDs cannot be accepted by Federal agencies for official purposes and must be clearly marked as not acceptable for official federal purposes.

How is the public’s usage of Driver’s Licenses and Identification Cards when interacting with the Federal government going to change?
In the future, individuals may use a State-issued driver’s license or identification card to board a commercial aircraft, gain access to a federal facility, or enter a nuclear power plant only if it is REAL ID-compliant.

Did DHS consult with the States in the development of this program?
DHS consulted extensively with the States to develop the rule.  DHS met with representatives of nearly all State DMVs and visited nearly two dozen States to tour their DMV operations and discuss implementation of the REAL ID Act. Additionally, this final rule follows a Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) published on March 9, 2007 that garnered over 21,000 comments that DHS analyzed prior to developing this final rule. The final rule reflects the product of extensive outreach to key stakeholders from State motor vehicle offices, State legislators, governors’ offices, and the associations representing these State groups, as well as discussions with groups representing privacy and civil liberties concerns.

What has changed from the proposed rule to the final rule?
DHS reviewed the many public comments submitted and has taken a balanced approach to effective REAL ID implementation by strengthening the provisions that have the greatest impact on reducing fraud and improving the security and integrity of driver’s licenses and identification cards. DHS has also modified the rule to provide States the flexibility to implement the law’s requirements in a realistic and effective manner. These changes address widespread concerns regarding: adequate time for system improvements and enrollment of driver populations; costs of facility, staff, IT and process changes; prioritization of cost-effective improvements to increase security and to reduce the issuance and use of fraudulent credentials; and enhanced privacy and security of personal information. For example:

• State compliance and driver enrollment deadlines have been extended to give States the additional time necessary to make the investments required to improve security and enroll persons in REAL ID
  
• Age-based enrollment will allow DMVs to better manage the flow of people into offices
  
• Privacy and security protections have been enhanced to protect the personally identifiable information of individuals and the addresses of certain classes of individuals
  
• The final rule reflects a performance-based approach to REAL ID implementation, eliminating costly and prescriptive NPRM requirements and giving States the flexibility to implement solutions that maximize the security and integrity of State-issued credentials
  
• Commenter recommendations that would significantly reduce fraud, improve security, and protect privacy have been incorporated into the final rule.

Is REAL ID a Federal Mandate?
REAL ID is not a Federal Mandate, and States are not required to participate.  The REAL ID Act simply establishes minimum standards that States must meet for their driver’s licenses and identification cards to be accepted for official federal purposes like boarding a commercial aircraft or entering a Federal facility. 

Is REAL ID a national identification card?
REAL ID is not a national identification card.  States will continue to issue driver’s licenses and identification cards.  Each State will issue its own unique license.  REAL ID sets minimum standards so that States, federal agencies, and other public organizations can have confidence in the security and integrity of credentials issued by all other participating States.

How does the final rule protect the privacy of license holders?
To ensure that an individual’s personally identifiable information is protected, the final rule prohibits the release and use of information inconsistent with the Federal Driver’s Privacy Protection Act. Further, States are encouraged to provide even greater protections via their State laws and regulations. DHS has addressed privacy concerns and questions by integrating these important considerations throughout the development of the final rule, and States will be required to submit a Security Plan that documents, among other things, how the State is protecting personally identifiable information and data.  The Privacy Impact Assessment for this rule is available on the Internet at Privacy Office – Privacy Impact Assessments (PIA).

What if my State does not comply with REAL ID?
If a State chooses not to comply with the provisions of the final rule, its driver’s licenses and identification cards will no longer be acceptable for official Federal purposes.  Individuals of the non-compliant States can still present other forms of acceptable identification such as a U.S. passport to board federally regulated commercial aircraft and access Federal facilities.

What will be the impact on individual citizens of non-compliant States?
Per the REAL ID Act, beginning on May 11, 2008, citizens of States that are not REAL ID compliant may not use their driver’s licenses or identification cards for official federal purposes such as boarding federally regulated commercial aircraft or accessing federal or nuclear facilities. If these citizens do not have other acceptable forms of identification (e.g., a U.S. passport), they may suffer delays due to the requirement for enhanced security screening. REAL ID-compliant States are those that have both requested and obtained an extension of the compliance date from DHS, or have been determined by DHS to be in compliance with the Act and the final rule.

Will everybody be required to get a REAL ID?
No.  Neither the REAL ID Act nor this rule will require individuals to obtain a REAL ID.

Will States be granted additional time to comply?
Yes.  All States submitting requests will receive extensions until December 31, 2009.  In addition, States that meet certain benchmarks for the security of their credentials and licensing and identification processes will be able to obtain a second extension until May 10, 2011. The content of these benchmarks are included in the final rule. The benchmarks include:

• Presentation of at least one of the required source documents
  
• Verification of lawful status and Social Security numbers
  
• Issuance of driver’s licenses or identification cards that contain integrated Level 1 (overt), 2 (covert) and 3 (forensic) security features
  
• Photographs of all applicants even if a license or identification card is not issued
  
• Reasonable efforts to ensure that applicants do not have multiple licenses or multiple identities

Federal agencies will continue to accept licenses for official purposes from those States who have been granted extensions.

When will participating States be required to be fully compliant?
States that meet the interim benchmarks of Material Compliance will have until May 10, 2011 to comply with the provisions of the REAL ID Act. Federal agencies will continue to accept licenses for official purposes from those States who have been granted extensions.

States have voiced concerns that they do not have the funds necessary to implement REAL ID.  How does DHS expect States to pay for REAL ID?
The issuance of driver’s licenses and identification cards is a State function, whose costs will continue to be born primarily by each State.    Neither the REAL ID Act nor this rule alters this responsibility.  That said, DHS recognizes that States will incur significant costs in implementing REAL ID, and has sought to reduce the anticipated financial impact in several ways.

First, the final rule addresses significant issues presented by those who submitted comments to the NPRM, including the need for additional time and flexibility in how the final rule is implemented.  Additionally, many States have already made investments in more secure processes, which mirror in many instances the requirements outlined in the rule.  These factors have substantially reduced estimated hard costs to States from $14.6 billion in the NPRM to approximately $4 billion in the final rule.  DHS is also implementing an age-based enrollment approach.  This allows States to focus the first phase of enrollment on those persons who may present a higher risk of obtaining and using fraudulent identification, while allowing other individuals to be phased in later.  Phased-in enrollment eases the burden on States to re-enroll their entire driving license and identification card population by providing additional time to accommodate the re-enrollment process.  This is expected to dramatically reduce the cost by billions so States will be able to implement REAL ID without the burden of having to hire additional personnel and build new facilities.
Second, DHS has committed to funding the development of a verification system hub that will support the data and document verification requirements of the Act.  This system will greatly reduce the costs of verifying applicant data while protecting the personal information of individuals.

What grant funding is available for REAL ID implementation?
In total, there are three REAL ID grant initiatives offered by DHS to assist with REAL ID implementation.  The first grant opportunity awarded $3 million in FY06 to Kentucky as part of a REAL ID Pilot Project.  The Kentucky Pilot Project will establish connectivity between Vital Records Agencies and driver’s licensing authorities to the Electronic Verification of Vital Events (EVVE) system owned and operated by the National Association of Public Health Statistics and Information Systems (NAPHSIS).  The EVVE system’s electronic birth verification capability enables Departments of Motor Vehicles to electronically verify birth records with the applicant’s Vital Records Agency.

DHS has also issued grant guidance for two additional REAL ID grant initiatives: the FY 2008 REAL ID Vital Events Verification State Project and FY 2008 REAL ID Demonstration Grant Program. 

• REAL ID Vital Events Verification State Project Grant – DHS will award $4 million to Kentucky to help link all States with the ability to verify the information contained on in-State and out-of-State birth certificates. 
  
• REAL ID Demonstration Grants – DHS will also competitively award $31.3 million to facilitate the implementation of the REAL ID Act through innovative proposals that provide improvements and enhance capabilities for States to move towards REAL ID compliance.

In addition, DHS will allow States to use up to 20% of its State Homeland Security Grant Program funds for REAL ID.

Finally, the recently-signed Omnibus spending bill for FY2008 appropriated an additional $50 million in REAL ID grants to States.  DHS is currently assessing ways of using these funds to assist States in meeting the requirements of the Act.

Why is DHS taking an age-based approach to enrolling drivers in the REAL ID program?
Some commenters proposed that DHS conduct a risk-based assessment based on age in order to decrease costs and lessen the impact on lines at the DMV.  DHS analyzed the data and concluded that the commenters were right.  Therefore, the final rule focuses on enrolling driving populations that may pose more risk of having or using a fraudulent ID.  As a result, persons born on or after December 1, 1964, will have to obtain a REAL ID by December 1, 2014 while those born before December 1, 1964, will have until December 1, 2017. This substantially reduces costs and congestion at the DMV by spreading out the enrollment period over a greater period of time.

What do DMVs need to do to check documents establishing a person’s identity?
All source documents presented by the applicant when applying for a REAL ID document must be verified with the issuing agency.  DHS has identified appropriate methods for verifying information presented to the DMVs to demonstrate identity, lawful status, date of birth and Social Security number with the issuing agency.  DHS is also assisting States in the development of a verification system hub that would make it easier and much less costly for States to verify the information on source documents with the issuing agency and check with other States to ensure that persons do not have multiple drivers’ licenses.

How long will a REAL ID license be valid for?
Individual States will continue to set the length of validity of their driver’s licenses and identification cards, up to a maximum validity period of eight years.   

Can States continue to accept remote renewals?
Yes.  States may continue to allow remote renewals for driver’s licenses and identification cards, subject to the requirements of the final rule.   

What about U.S. citizens who were never issued a birth certificate?
A State may use its exceptions process to establish lawful presence for U.S. citizens.  U.S. citizens may also present a passport to demonstrate identity and citizenship at the DMV.

Will a national database be created that stores information about every applicant?
No.  REAL ID does not establish a national database of driver information.  The Federal government will not collect information about driver’s license and identification card holders pursuant to REAL ID.  States will continue to manage and operate databases for driver’s license and identification card issuance.

Who will have routine access to the information that the DMVs collect?
As they do now, only authorized DMV officials and law enforcement in the licensing State will have access to DMV records.  Licensing authorities will be able to verify that an individual holds only one REAL ID document, and is not attempting to obtain multiple documents from multiple States.  Neither the REAL ID Act nor this final rule creates greater access to State DMV records by the Federal government than already exists under current statutes for law enforcement purposes.

Will REAL ID change how my license looks?  What type of information will be required to appear on the card?
The final rule does not specify designs or layouts of State-issued licenses and States will continue to have flexibility in determining the security features on their cards.  The final rule does detail the minimum data elements that must be included on the face of the card.  However, States already include all or almost all of these data elements on their cards.

Additionally, temporary REAL IDs need to clearly state that they are temporary, and non-REAL IDs issued by compliant States need to clearly state on their face that they are not acceptable for official federal  purposes.
Finally, REAL IDs will include a security marking that denotes the document’s compliance level.

What if religious beliefs preclude me from getting my photo taken for a REAL ID driver’s license?  Can I still get one?
No.  The digital photograph requirement is explicit in the law.  States can issue non-REAL ID licenses to those individuals who have a religious objection to having their photo taken.  However they cannot use their non-REAL ID licenses for official purposes.   

Does the final rule require States to collect fingerprints or iris images from drivers?  What about RFID technology?
No.  REAL ID does not require any biometrics beyond the photograph and signature already required by States and does not require Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology.

What is the Machine Readable Technology required, as outlined in the final rule?
The final rule requires a 2-D PDF-417 Machine Readable Zone (MRZ), which is already used by 46 jurisdictions (45 States and the District of Columbia).

What is the difference between a REAL ID and an enhanced driver’s license (EDL)?
The EDL will serve as a limited use international travel document that will contain a vicinity Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chip and a MRZ used to facilitate border crossing and verification by Customs and Border Protection at a land and sea port of entry.

DHS has worked to align REAL ID and EDL requirements.  Now that the REAL ID final rulemaking has been published, DHS will ensure that State-issued EDLs meet REAL ID compliance benchmarks over time.  However, there are some key distinctions between the two programs that should be noted.  While the REAL ID requires proof of lawful status in the United States, the State-issued EDL will require that the card holder be a U.S. citizen. 

An EDL will also include an international document standard MRZ to allow CBP officers to read the card electronically if RFID is not available.  The EDL MRZ is different from the REAL ID 2-D PDF-417 MRZ which used by State and local law enforcement officials.

For additional information on Enhanced Driver’s Licenses, please see the EDL Fact Sheet.

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WPCNR POLICE GAZETTE. From U.S. Department of Homeland Security. (Edited) January 14, 2008: The Department of Homeland Security issued final REAL I.D. requirements to the states Friday, and individual states have until December 31, 2009 to comply with the new guidelines. 

REAL ID will address document fraud by setting specific requirements that states must adopt for compliance, to include: (1) information and security features that must be incorporated into each card; (2) proof of the identity and U.S. citizenship or legal status of an applicant; (3) verification of the source documents provided by an applicant; and (4) security standards for the offices that issue licenses and identification cards. 

The first deadline for compliance with REAL ID is Dec. 31, 2009. By then, states must upgrade the security of their license systems, to include a check for lawful status of all applicants, to ensure that illegal aliens cannot obtain REAL ID licenses. Some states are expected to be compliant well before that time. Compliance will be needed for access into a federal facility, boarding commercial aircraft, and entering nuclear power plants. Federal agencies will continue to accept licenses for official purposes from residents of states that comply with the law.

“The American public’s desire for greater identity protection is undeniable,” said Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. “Americans understand today that the 9/11 hijackers obtained 30 drivers licenses and ID’s, and used 364 aliases. For an extra $8 per license, REAL ID will give law enforcement and security officials a powerful advantage against falsified documents, and it will bring some peace of mind to citizens wanting to protect their identity from theft by a criminal or illegal alien.”

The problems that Americans face from document fraud are diverse and growing. A Public Opinion Strategies poll taken last year shows that more than 80 percent of the American public favors secure identification to prevent terrorism and identity theft. Identity theft has increased by nearly 800 percent from 2000 to 2006, according to the Federal Trade Commission. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement made 863 criminal arrests during various worksite enforcement operations in fiscal year 2007 – more than 500 were charged with crimes relating to federal and state document fraud – and their Identity and Benefit Fraud Units made 1,211 criminal arrests for document fraud related charges. The U.S. Secret Service made 4,348 arrests last year for identity theft or financial fraud crimes, accounting for approximately $690 million in actual fraud loss to individuals and financial institutions. In a sampling of Secret Service identify theft cases from 2000 to 2006, fraudulent drivers’ licenses were used 35 percent of the time.

The 73 percent cost reduction – from an original estimate of $14.6 billion to approximately $3.9 billion – was achieved mainly by giving states greater flexibility in issuing licenses to older Americans. Enrollment will be completed for all individuals under 50 years of age by Dec. 1, 2014. For all others, enrollment may be extended three additional years to Dec. 1, 2017. At that time, all state-issued drivers’ licenses and identification cards intended for official federal purposes must be REAL ID compliant.

REAL ID was a core 9/11 Commission finding and mandated by Congress in the REAL ID Act of 2005. This final rule follows a Notice of Proposed Rule Making published in the Federal Register on March 9, 2007. Based on comments received from various stakeholders, DHS drafted the final rule to substantially reduce costs and account for investments that many states have already made to improve the security of their drivers’ licenses. 

For more information, this final rule is currently available at www.dhs.gov and will soon be published in the Federal Register.

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WPCNR’S THE REAL DEAL By The Wedding Jeannie, Jeannie Uyanik. January 13, 2008: Readers will be pleased to learn that renting anything for your event, even a sophisticated bathroom system, should be eons easier than renting a habitable space in New York City.  As with everything in party planning, there are a few key tricks to make the process as efficient and smooth as possible, but if the thought of needing to rent for your event is overwhelming, this column should provide some comfort.

Jeannie Uyanik, Planner to the World

The Wedding Jeannie

WPCNR Columnista

There is no limit to what you can rent for an event; everything from toilets, to dresses, to jewelry, to trees, divans, and sophisticated installations.  The first task is to determine what you actually need to rent.  If you are doing an event at a private residence, the sky is the limit.  The first thing to consider is if you have enough space inside a residence to accommodate all aspects of a function in rain and shine.  Generally, the answer is no, but people are hesitant to want the burden of renting a tent.  Trust us when we say that this is a much smaller task than the burden of rain when 220 people are about to arrive and there is no space to cover everyone for all portions of the event. 

Especially with a wedding, imagine that there generally have to be three spaces available for use; the ceremony area, the cocktail area and the reception area.  Often, the reception and ceremony area can take place in the same space, but you need to make sure that the caterer is able to re-set the space within an hour time frame to have it ready again for the reception.  If you find that you do need additional space, tenting is a great alternative. 

There are of course many things to consider once you opt for a tent; a free standing tent or one that uses existing infrastructure as the anchor; a tent with or without poles, sides and windows – the options abound.  This is easily understandable once you begin to review the options with a tenting company.  One of our favorites, a reputable but not inexpensive firm is Stamford Tent (www.stamfordtent.com) based in CT. 

Once you have chosen the tent type and style, other rentals to consider include lighting, heating or cooling systems, flooring (for the entire ground), dance floor and internal infrastructure such as a band stand or riser.  Again, while this might seem like a lot to deal with, tenting companies are equipped to supply you with all the resources you need and the primary obstacle is finding a tenting company that you trust and with which you feel comfortable working. 

Generally, if you are doing an event at a private residence, or on private grounds, then you will also need to consider a cook’s tent where the caterers will have space to prepare and plate the food.  In the case of rain, companies will often allow for a 50% deposit to hold the tent with the right of refusal should you not want to purchase it for the day of.  If however it does rain, consider that you will need other features, like canopies, to connect either the cook’s tent to the main tent and to any other structures that might be in play for an event. 

For a private residence or raw space function, bathrooms will be essential depending on the size of your guest list and the availability of other toilets in the immediate vicinity of the event.  Remember, if you are having a tented event and feel comfortable that guests can walk to the toilets, should it rain, you need to provide a way in which they can get to the bathrooms without getting soaked.  Assuming though that you are bringing in portable bathrooms, the options for elegant toilets abound.  While in recent times, the image of portable toilets conjured memories of picnics in the park or childhood stops along the freeway, today’s portable toilets can be nicer than those at the best restaurants or hotels (with the price tag to match though). 

Tenting companies can also assist with this, but keep in mind that you are going to be paying a middle man to handle this transaction and it’s most prudent to source a bathroom rental company independently.  The one important thing to remember is to include the option of having an attendant on site for the event.  They will make sure that the bathrooms are in proper order throughout the duration of guest use.

While comparatively, items like tables, chairs, linens, glassware and cutlery can seem insignificant relative to larger rental needs, these are things that dress the space and what guests actually notice most.  It’s important to spend time looking at each item that you want to use and picking them in person if possible. 

For this reason, Party Rental Ltd. (www.partyrentalltd.com) is top choice because of their exceptional showroom space in New York City.  And when ordering the fun stuff, its more likely than not that if a caterer is involved, the company will need a number of things as well (from tables to heating appliances) and they often want to coordinate the rentals themselves from start to finish.  If not, make sure you liaise with them to confirm that all the items for service and for preparation are included on a checklist. 

Once the big items are under control, consider if you want to rent formal wear for the day – from tuxedos and men’s shoes to wedding dresses and formal gowns.  Wedding dress rental can often end up being only a fraction of the cost of a regular gown (usually somewhere in the area of 20% of the original cost) and can be a great way to maximize the budget while not minimizing the wow factor.  A few great resources include MyrJan (www.myrjan.com) and www.alexandriasformal.com for women.  Ironically, while there are a plethora of places that offer tuxedo rentals, many can be a nightmare to deal with so search carefully and make sure that the store has an exceptional customer service department in case of any problems. 

Another sundry item that you can consider renting for a big event or wedding day includes jewelry.  Adorn Brides (www.adornbrides.com) offers a few selections, but we have found that the most fabulous pieces tend to come directly from high-end jewelry stores; some hotels will arrange rentals on behalf of their guests or alternatively, it’s possible to deal with jewelers directly, although each has its own formalities as to execution of a rental.  Located in New York City is Doyle & Doyle (www.doyledoyle.com), which has a wide collection of antique and estate jewelry from which to choose. 

But our favorite rental for sure, which can be fun and really have a huge impact on guests close to the end of the night is that for cakes!  Yes, you can rent a cake from www.cakerental.com and while there are amazing cake bakers all over the world (more on cakes in next week’s column) it’s hard to beat the price, style and size that Styrofoam can create.  Even our favorite bakers would concede that you have a lot more room to play and at smaller price tag, when dealing with non-edible items than you do with fondant and flour!   

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WPCNR’S Eliot Spitzer from Albany. By Governor Eliot Spitzer. January 11, 2008: Yesterday I delivered my annual State of the State address to the New York State Legislature.

In it, I laid out a set of goals that I believe will make New York the best place in the world to live, work, raise a family, and run a business by focusing with a singular purpose on economic growth and opportunity.

Across New York, we see economic storm clouds gathering. In 2008, these storms will hit cities and neighborhoods around the state that, as we know too well, are already struggling.

The plan I announced yesterday is designed not only to weather the coming storm, but to achieve lasting economic growth — both upstate and downstate — while holding government accountable for delivering results.


Our blueprint for growth is an action plan to create good jobs, better schools, high quality affordable healthcare, strong, vibrant and safe neighborhoods — as well as lower taxes.

It starts with education, because we cannot strengthen our economy without the best colleges producing the best-prepared graduates. That’s why yesterday I urged the State Legislature to work with me in 2008 to make New York’s higher education system the best in the world and put a college degree affordably in reach of every New Yorker.

To strengthen upstate New York, I proposed a $1 billion Upstate Revitalization Fund that will build upon the foundation we laid last year with a massive infusion of economic development capital into cities and towns across upstate New York.

And I called on the legislature to join me in an effort to finally get real about New York’s property tax crisis. Last year, we enacted the largest property tax relief program in our state’s history and saved local governments more than one billion dollars in healthcare costs. But property taxes just keep going up. So this year, I have asked Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi to lead a bipartisan commission that will develop a fair but strong cap on local school property taxes.

One of the darkest clouds on our horizon, not just in New York but nationally, is the housing crisis. To combat the dual crisis of housing affordability and mortgage foreclosure, I proposed the largest housing initiative in a generation: a $400 million Housing Trust Fund to build affordable housing for low and middle income families and provide supportive housing for those who cannot live independently.

To stem the mortgage foreclosure crisis, I proposed legislation to amend New York’s foreclosure law to provide additional protections to homeowners, and, working with Attorney General Cuomo, I will submit legislation that will strengthen our anti-fraud laws to ensure that those who engage in mortgage scams are are not only punished, but put out of business.

But we will never be able to achieve the growth our state needs to if health care costs remain a burdensome ball and chain. Last year, we cut Medicaid spending for the first time in a generation, without reducing patient benefits, and we began the long trip to universal coverage. This year, we will continue to reform our healthcare system so that it delivers more affordable, effective primary and preventive care.

But cutting costs isn’t enough. Hard-working parents simply can’t afford to buy their children health insurance. The result is no care for our children, which is unacceptable, or expensive care in our emergency rooms, which is unsustainable. In 2007, the Bush administration said no to our plan to make it affordable for every parent to get health coverage for their children. Yesterday I told legislators that when it comes to covering our children, we won’t take no for an answer.

In my upcoming Executive Budget, I will propose that New York State fully fund the expansion of our children’s health insurance program and guarantee affordable coverage for every single child in New York State.

Taken together, all of these policies will help us not only weather the storm, but actually achieve real economic growth and hold government accountable for delivering results.

Our state and our nation have always used times of challenge to expand and invest in our democracy. I believe we can – and must – do so today.

I hope you will take a moment to read the speech as well as fact sheets about the specific initiatives I plan to advance in 2008.

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WPCNR POLICE GAZETTE. January 10, 2008 UPDATED 9:15 PM: Deputy Commissioner of Public Safety Dr. Charles Jennings is leaving the Public Safety Department. Jennings will be taking a new position in education at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. The Department confirmed his departure today to the media. Dr. Frank Straub, Commissioner of Public Safety credited Jennings with introducing the a fire assignment system at fire scenes to locate and possibly find personnel unaccounted for at a fire scene, a key safety enhancement.  Straub said he expected to name Jennings’ successor shortly.

Sources have told WPCNR that Deputy Fire Chief John Cullen will replace him, but this is unconfirmed at this time.