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Driver's Licenses
RSMo 302.170effective 28 Aug 2020

Federal REAL ID Act, compliance with

In plain English

This Missouri law is about driver's licenses and ID cards and how the state handles personal information. The state offers two kinds of driver's licenses or ID cards: one that follows federal REAL ID rules (accepted for flying on planes and entering federal buildings) and one that does not follow those rules (accepted only for state purposes). A person gets to choose which kind they want. The state is not allowed to collect most biometric data (like fingerprints or iris scans) from people applying for licenses. Personal information gathered during the application process cannot be sold to other organizations or states without the person's permission or a court order. Anyone who illegally shares or accesses this personal data can face criminal charges, and anyone harmed by a violation can sue for money damages in court.

Penalties named in this law
class A misdemeanorup to 1 year in jail
class E felonyup to 4 years in prison
class D felonyup to 7 years in prison

Classifications stated in the statute. Actual outcomes vary.

Word-for-word law

302.170. Federal REAL ID Act, with — definitions — retention of documents — inapplicability, when — of compliant s and ID cards, procedure — — privacy — violations, and criminal penalties — data retention. — 1. As used in this section, the following terms shall mean:

(1) "Biometric data" shall include, but not be limited to, the following:

(a) Voice data used for comparing live speech with a previously created speech model of a person's voice;

(b) Iris data containing color or texture patterns or codes;

(c) Retinal scans, reading through the pupil to measure blood vessels lining the retina;

(d) Fingerprint, palm prints, hand geometry, measure of any and all characteristics of biometric , including shape and length of fingertips, or recording ridge pattern or fingertip characteristics;

(e) Characteristic gait or walk;

(f) DNA;

(g) Keystroke dynamic, measuring pressure applied to key pads or other digital receiving devices;

(2) "Commercial purposes" shall not include data used or compiled solely to be used for, or obtained or compiled solely for purposes expressly allowed under Missouri law or the federal Drivers Privacy Protection Act;

(3) "", original or , where applicable, of documents presented by an as required under 6 Part 37 to the to apply for a driver's license or . Source documents shall also include any documents required for the issuance of driver's licenses or nondriver's licenses by the department of revenue under the of this chapter or accompanying s.

2. Except as provided in 3 of this section and as required to carry out the provisions of subsection 4 of this section, the department of revenue shall not retain copies, in any format, of source documents presented by individuals applying for or holding driver's licenses or nondriver's licenses or use technology to capture digital images of source documents so that the images are capable of being retained in electronic storage in a format.

3. The provisions of this section shall not apply to:

(1) Original forms, which may be retained but not scanned except as provided in this section;

(2) Test score documents d by state patrol driver examiners and Missouri commercial examiners;

(3) Documents demonstrating of any applicant who is not a citizen of the United States, including documents demonstrating duration of the person's lawful presence in the United States;

(4) Any document required to be retained under federal motor regulations in 49, , including but not limited to documents required by federal law for the issuance of a and a commercial driver ;

(5) Documents submitted by a commercial driver's license or applicant who is a Missouri resident and is a qualified current or former military which allow for of the commercial driver's license knowledge test, , or both; and

(6) Any other document at the request of and for the convenience of the applicant.

4. (1) To the extent not prohibited under subsection 13 of this section, the department of revenue shall amend procedures for applying for a driver's license or in to comply with the goals or standards of the federal , any s or regulations under the ed in such Act, or any requirements adopted by the American Association of Motor Vehicle for furtherance of the Act, unless such conflicts with Missouri law.

(2) The department of revenue shall issue driver's licenses or identification cards that are compliant with the federal REAL ID Act of 2005, as amended, to all applicants for driver's licenses or identification cards unless an applicant requests a driver's license or identification card that is not . Except as provided in subsection 3 of this section and as required to carry out the provisions of this subsection, the department of revenue shall not retain the source documents of individuals applying for driver's licenses or identification cards not compliant with REAL ID. Upon initial application for a driver's license or identification card, the shall inform applicants of the option of being issued a REAL ID compliant driver's license or identification card or a driver's license or identification card that is not compliant with REAL ID. The department shall inform all applicants:

(a) With regard to the REAL ID compliant driver's license or identification card:

a. Such card is valid for official state purposes and for official federal purposes as outlined in the federal REAL ID Act of 2005, as amended, such as domestic air travel and seeking access to military bases and most federal facilities;

b. Electronic copies of source documents will be retained by the department and destroyed after the minimum time required for digital retention by the federal REAL ID Act of 2005, as amended;

c. The facial image capture will only be retained by the department if the application is finished and submitted to the department; and

d. Any other information the department deems necessary to inform the applicant about the REAL ID compliant driver's license or identification card under the federal REAL ID Act;

(b) With regard to a driver's license or identification card that is not compliant with the federal REAL ID Act:

a. Such card is valid for official state purposes, but it is not valid for official federal purposes as outlined in the federal REAL ID Act of 2005, as amended, such as domestic air travel and seeking access to military bases and most federal facilities;

b. Source documents will be but no copies of such documents will be retained by the department unless ted under subsection 3 of this section, except as necessary to a request by a license or card or applicant;

c. Any other information the department deems necessary to inform the applicant about the driver's license or identification card.

5. The department of revenue shall not use, collect, obtain, share, or retain biometric data nor shall the department use biometric technology to produce a driver's license or nondriver's license or to uniquely identify or license applicants. This subsection shall not apply to digital images nor signatures required for the issuance of driver's licenses and nondriver's licenses or for the use of software for purposes of combating , or to biometric data collected from employees of the department of revenue, employees of the office of who provide information technology support to the department of revenue, license offices, and contracted rs engaged in the production, processing, or manufacture of driver's licenses or identification cards in positions which require a background check in order to be compliant with the federal REAL ID Act or any rules or regulations promulgated under the authority of such Act. Except as otherwise provided by law, applicants' source documents and Social numbers shall not be stored in any database accessible by any other state or the federal government. Such database shall contain only the data fields included on driver's licenses and nondriver identification cards compliant with the federal REAL ID Act, and the driving records of the individuals holding such driver's licenses and nondriver identification cards.

6. any of this chapter that requires an applicant to provide reasonable of lawful presence for issuance or renewal of a noncommercial driver's license, noncommercial instruction permit, or a nondriver's license, an applicant shall not have his or her privacy rights violated in order to obtain or renew a Missouri noncommercial driver's license, noncommercial instruction permit, or a nondriver's license.

7. No citizen of this state shall have his or her privacy compromised by the state or agents of the state. The state shall within reason protect the sovereignty of the citizens the state is entrusted to protect. Any data derived from a person's application shall not be sold for commercial purposes to any other organization or any other state without the express permission of the applicant without a ; except such information may be shared with a , judge, , or , or with another state for the limited purposes set out in section 302.600, or for the purposes set forth in section 32.091, or for conducting driver history checks in compliance with the Motor Carrier Safety Improvement Act, 49 U.S.C. Section 31309. The state of Missouri shall protect the privacy of its citizens when handling any written, digital, or electronic data, and shall not participate in any standardized identification system using driver's and nondriver's license records except as provided in this section.

8. Other than to process a request by a license or card holder or applicant, no person shall access, , or allow access to or distribution of any written, digital, or electronic data collected or retained under this section without the express permission of the applicant or a court order, except that such information may be shared with a law enforcement agency, judge, prosecuting attorney, or officer of the court, or with another state for the limited purposes set out in section 302.600 or for conducting driver history checks in compliance with the Motor Carrier Safety Improvement Act, 49 U.S.C. Section 31309. A first violation of this subsection shall be a . A second violation of this subsection shall be a . A third or of this subsection shall be a .

9. Any person harmed or damaged by any violation of this section may bring a for , including noneconomic and , as well as , in the where that person resided at the time of the violation or in the circuit court of Cole County to recover such damages from the department of revenue and any persons participating in such violation. shall not be available as a for the department of revenue in such an action. In the event the on any count of his or her , the plaintiff shall be entitled to recover reasonable from the defendants.

10. The department of revenue may necessary to implement the provisions of this section. Any rule or portion of a rule, as that term is defined in section 536.010, that is created under the authority in this section shall become effective only if it complies with and is subject to all of the provisions of and, if applicable, section 536.028. This section and chapter 536 are and if any of the powers with the chapter 536 to , to delay the , or to disapprove and a rule are subsequently held , then the grant of and any rule proposed or adopted after August 28, 2017, shall be and .

11. Biometric data, digital images, source documents, and licensee signatures, or any copies of the same, required to be collected or retained to comply with the requirements of the federal REAL ID Act of 2005 shall be digitally retained for no longer than the minimum duration required to maintain compliance, and immediately thereafter shall be securely destroyed so as to make them irretrievable.

12. No agency, department, or official of this state or of any thereof shall use, collect, obtain, share, or retain from a REAL ID compliant driver's license or identification card issued by a state, nor use the same to uniquely identify any individual.

13. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, the department of revenue shall not amend procedures for applying for a driver's license or identification card, nor any rule or regulation, for purposes of complying with modifications made to the federal REAL ID Act of 2005 after August 28, 2017, imposing additional requirements on applications, document retention, or issuance of compliant licenses or cards, including any rules or regulations promulgated under the authority granted under the federal REAL ID Act of 2005, as amended, or any requirements adopted by the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators for furtherance thereof.

14. If the federal REAL ID Act of 2005 is or repealed such that driver's licenses and identification cards issued by this state that are not compliant with the federal REAL ID Act of 2005 are once again sufficient for federal identification purposes, the department shall not issue a driver's license or identification card that complies with the federal REAL ID Act of 2005 and shall securely destroy, within thirty days, any source documents retained by the department for the purpose of compliance with such Act.

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Source & history notes

(L. 2017 H.B. 151, A.L. 2018 S.B. 881, A.L. 2019 S.B. 89 merged with S.B. 368, A.L. 2020 H.B. 1963)

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Legal information, not legal advice. Always confirm with the official source at revisor.mo.gov.

RSMo 302.170: Federal REAL ID Act, compliance with | KnowMo Laws