LOCAL & STATE
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2019
BAKER CITY HERALD — 5A
‘Real ID’ could cause travel trouble School board to
By Sam Stites
Oregon Capital Bureau
If you’ve fl own from Port-
land International Airport
within the past couple of
weeks you’ve probably
received a warning from
Transportation Security
Administration agents while
waiting to get through
security: Beginning Oct. 1,
2020, they’ll no longer accept
state-issued identifi cation that
doesn’t comply with “Real ID”
standards.
That news surprised one
Oregonian catching an early
morning fl ight to Chicago
this month. She explained to
the TSA agent that she knew
about the change and had ob-
tained a new Oregon driver’s
license the previous week. So,
she told him, she’s ready for
the new law.
Except, the TSA agent told
her, she’s not.
That’s because Oregon’s
Driver and Motor Vehicle Divi-
sion offi ces won’t issue licenses
that comply with the Real ID
standards until July 2020 (the
new licenses will have a star
in the upper right corner).
“So I have to get a new
license in July?” the woman
asked. The agent asked: Does
she have a valid passport? She
does. So, the agent told her
that document will work.
The woman was relieved,
but wondered aloud, “How
did this happen? It makes no
sense.”
Incompatible computers
The saga began when Con-
gress passed the Real ID Act
of 2005. On the recommenda-
tion of the 9/11 Commission,
federal lawmakers created a
set of standards for the issu-
ance of sources of identifi ca-
tion like driver’s licenses.
To understand why Oregon
is in this predicament, you
have to go back to 2009 when
the Legislature passed Sen-
Pamplin Media Group fi le photo
TSA agents are warning Oregon travelers that they will
have to have a Real ID-compliant driver’s license by
October 2020 or they won’t be able to fl y.
ate Bill 536, legislation that
balked at the Real ID Act,
calling it out as an unfunded
mandate. Oregon lawmakers
were unhappy that the federal
government didn’t outline how
it would reimburse the state
for updating driver informa-
tion systems. Oregon lawmak-
ers also felt a new system
would provide few security
protections, leaving identifi ca-
tion systems open to insider
fraud, counterfeit documenta-
tion and database failures.
The bill passed with little
opposition, and the federal
government pushed back
the deadline as Oregon and
nearly almost all other states
refused to comply. During
the next decade, the federal
Department of Homeland
Security began rolling out the
law in phases, fi rst at its own
Washington, D.C., headquar-
ters, then at nuclear facilities
across the country. Air travel
requirements were rolled out
beginning Jan. 22, 2018.
Ahead of the deadline, most
states began changing their
systems, which included im-
plementation of massive new
data servers to keep identifi -
cation information secure. The
system was used to instantly
verify documentation, such as
birth certifi cates, passports,
Social Security numbers and
residential addresses.
Driver and Motor Vehicles
Services spokesman David
House said Real ID compli-
ance continued to come up in
Oregon’s legislative process
each year. One obstacle to
the state’s participation was
technology. ODOT’s system
was running on millions of
lines of primitive code inside
an old mainframe computer.
House said it could have
been updated to handle the
new info required for Real
ID compliance, but the half-
century-old system “is simply
incompatible with modern
technology.”
In 2015, ODOT began
updating its information
system. Two years later, the
Legislature approved a bill
to authorize Real ID compli-
ance. Instead of starting a
new information technology
project to become compliant,
the state signed a $69.4 mil-
lion contract with Colorado’s
Fast Enterprises, which also
handled system changes for
Massachusetts and Min-
nesota, to tack on creation
of a new driver information
system to ODOT’s project
already underway.
Only Oklahoma, New
Jersey and Oregon have yet
discuss new
bond measure
to comply with Real ID stan-
dards. While ODOT awaits
arrival of its new data system
in July 2020, the agency is
using the interim to warn
travelers not to wait if they
plan to fl y after Oct. 1, 2020.
Two weeks ago, ODOT and
TSA offi cials spoke to report-
ers at Portland International
Airport, where they encour-
aged frequent fl yers to ac-
quire passports so they’re not
snagged in the anticipated
long DMV lines, as people try
to get new licenses to meet
security requirements.
By Chris Collins
ccollins@bakercityherald.com
The Baker School Board has rescheduled its October
meeting for Monday.
The group will first meet at the District bus barn at
2990 D Street at 5 p.m. to tour the building and to look at
the upgrades made this summer.
The Board next will gather at City Hall to meet in ex-
ecutive (closed to the public) session beginning at 5:40 p.m.
The public meeting will begin at 6 p.m. Both meetings
will convene in the Council chambers at Baker City Hall,
1655 First St.
The closed session has been scheduled, as allowed by
Oregon law, to conduct deliberations with those designat-
ed by the Board to negotiate property transactions.
The Board is scheduled to act on the property transac-
tion later during the open meeting.
Another matter the Board will take action on Monday
night is a recommendation from members of a committee
that has been reviewing a bond proposal to send to Dis-
trict voters in May 2020. Committee members will pres-
ent their findings about how the District should proceed to
fund necessary school improvements.
The Board also is expected to act on a proposal from
Baker City resident Peter Fargo, who will speak about
plans to create a Baker City Quiet Zone.
As it does during most meetings, the Board will recog-
nize two students as the District’s Promise Students of the
Month. This month’s honored students are Amira Herrera
of Brooklyn Primary School and Kale Cassidy of Baker
High School.
Kim Mosier, one of the founders of the Baker Valley
Education Foundation, will update the Board on the orga-
nization’s activities during the open session.
The Board also will review personnel changes:
• Shannon Streeter has been hired as a fiscal assistant
in the District Office. Streeter resigned from her position
as Brooklyn secretary to take the new job.
• Darcie Kirkwood has resigned as a paraprofessional
at South Baker Intermediate School.
• Classified new hires — James Billings, Brooklyn
paraprofessional; Kevin Lee, clinical paraprofessional in
the Behavioral Education Social Skills Teaching (BESST)
program at Brooklyn; Tala Yencopal, prekindergarten
paraprofessional at Haines Elementary; Rebecca Hurley
and Steve Palmer, bus drivers.
• Extra-duty new hires are Morgan Colvin and Ami
Livingston, Friday Academy teachers; Silas Turner coun-
seling coordinator; Chris Wittich, Esports coach; Karla
Shute, Friday Academy cook at Brooklyn; and Gina Ben-
nett, temporary Baker Early Learning Center (BELC)
planning coordinator.
Do I really need to get a
passport?
If you don’t fl y, work at a
nuclear power plant or need
access to secure federal facili-
ties, you don’t need identifi ca-
tion that complies with the
federal Real ID Act. But
if you plan on fl ying — do-
mestic or international — in
the latter part of 2020, you
should probably think about
getting a passport.
At least that’s what Trans-
portation Security Adminis-
tration and Oregon’s De-
partment of Transportation
advise travelers to do ahead
of what is expected to be a
wave of Oregon drivers lining
up to get new identifi cation
when it becomes available
next July.
Outside of county offi ces,
some cities have their own
passport services within
city hall. Lake Oswego, for
example, has staff trained
to accept applications for
passports.
One tip offered by Lake
Oswego Administrative Sup-
port Assistant Chloe Busch:
U.S. passport cards ($65 with
fees), which offer entry into
Mexico and Canada, comply
with Real ID standards and
are less expensive than a
standard U.S. passport book
($145 with fees).
Baker County
Baker United
Methodist Church
FIRST
PRESBYTERIAN
CHURCH
Sunday Worship
Casual Service: 8:30 AM
Traditional Service: 10 AM
1919 2nd Street, Baker City
541-523-4201
Sunday Worship Service
10:30 AM
1995 4th Street, Baker City
541-523-5201
firstpresbaker.blogspot.com
Third & Broadway
541-523-3891
Sundays
10 AM Service
& Children's Church
Thursdays
5:30-6:15 pm
Free Community Dinner
Celebrate Recovery Classes
start at 6:15 pm
Sunday Service
11:00 am
www.ChristianScience.com
3rd & Washington, Baker City
541-523-5911
www.bakercalvarybaptist.com
Elkhorn Baptist
Church
Sunday School 10 am
Morning Worship 11 am
Evening Worship 6 pm
Discovery Kids Worship
6:30 pm
3520 Birch St, Baker City
541-523-4332
SAINT ALPHONSUS
HOSPITAL CHAPEL
New Beginnings
Fellowship
& HARVEST
CHRISTIAN ACADEMY
(Preschool-12 Grade)
Harvest Cafe 9:15 am
Morning Worship 10:10 am
3720 Birch St, Baker City
541-523-4233
Sunday Morning Worship
10:30 AM
Sunday Evening 6 PM
Weds Service 7 PM
Zan & Dawn Coen
The first Sunday of each month is Mission
Breakfast. Donations and non-perishable dona-
tions for NEOCC are accepted.
1820 Estes, Baker City
541- 524-1394
AGAPE
CHRISTIAN
CENTER
SEVENTH-DAY
ADVENTIST
CHURCH
Open to all patients,
family and friends for
reflection and prayer.
Sunday Services
10:00 am & 6:30 pm
St. Alphonsus Hospital in
Baker City
South Highway 7,
Baker City
541-523-6586
Saturday Worship
11:00 am
www.bakercitysda.com
17th & Pocahontas, Baker City
541-523-4913
THE CHURCH OF
JESUS CHRIST OF
LATTER-DAY
SAINTS
CHRISTIAN
SCIENCE CHURCH
FIRST
LUTHERAN
CHURCH
Sunday Service 11 AM
1734 Third Street, Baker City
541-523-3922
firstlutheranbakercity@gmail.com
St. Francis De
Sales Cathedral
Daily Masses:
M, T, Th, F 9 am
Day Chapel in Cathedral
Wed Daily Mass 9 am
at St. Alphonsus Chapel
Sat 8 am at Day Chapel
Baker City Saturday Mass 6 pm
Baker City Sunday Mass 9:30 am
St. Therese in Halfway 2 pm Sat
St. Anthony's in North Powder
11:30 Sun
541-523-4521
Corner of First & Church, Baker City
Sunday Worship 9:45 AM
Baker City 1st Ward
Sacrament Meeting 9 AM
Pastor Troy Teeter
Baker City 2nd Ward
Sacrament Meeting 10:30
1250 Hughes Lane, Baker City
(Corner of Cedar & Hughes)
541-523-3533
www.bakernaz.com
Baker Valley Ward
Sacrament Meeting 12
ST. BRIGID’S IN THE
PINES COMMUNITY
CHURCH
11:30 a.m. Services
1st & 3rd Sunday
Holy Eucharist
Sunday Worship
First Service 8:30 am
2nd Service & Sunday School
10 am
East Auburn Street, Sumpter
541-523-4812
Jr. High & High School Youth
Tues 6:30 pm
Youth Pastor Silas Moe
A Mission of St. Stephen's Episcopal
Church in Baker City
675 Hwy 7, Baker City • 541-523-5425
Faith Center
Foursquare
St. Stephen’s
Episcopal
Established
1904
A Four Square Gospel Church
Services at 9 am
1st & 3rd Sundays, Holy Eucharist
2nd & 4th Sundays, Morning Prayer
5th Sunday, Morning Prayer
2177 First Street • Baker City
Entrance on 1st Street
Corner Church & First Streets
541-523-4812
Worship Service
10:45 am
1839 3rd St, Baker City
541-523-7915
Thank you to the participating churches and these sponsors:
Cliff’s Saws & Cycles
2619 Tenth • 523-2412
PM
2625 Hughes Lane, Baker City
541-523-2397
The church directory is published the third Friday of every month. Information for this directory is provided by participating churches, please call 541-523-3673 for more information.
Whelan Electric, Inc.
523-5756 • CCB 103032
AM
1500 Dewey • 523-3677
1950 Place • 523-4300