NASCIO Awards

AWARDS & RECOGNITION

2009 Awards: Cross-Boundary Collaboration and Partnerships

RECIPIENT:
Washington - Enhanced Driver License/Identification Card Project

Washington became the first state in the nation to empower U.S. citizens with an Enhanced Driver License or ID card (EDL/ID) for land or sea border crossings. The EDL/ID was created in response to the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI), which requires all travelers to present a passport or other approved document in order to enter or re-enter the United States.

Governor Christine Gregoire recognized the potential for disruption of Washington’s robust trade relationship with Canada. Premier Gordon Campbell of British Columbia and Governor Gregoire jointly wrote President George W. Bush in December 2005, expressing concern over costly identification requirements that could dissuade travelers from crossing the border.

Secretary of Homeland Security, Michael Chertoff, expressed a willingness to consider passport-equivalent documents to meet the WHTI requirements in July 2006. On March 23, 2007, DHS signed a Memorandum of Agreement with the Washington State Department of Licensing to launch the EDL/ID program as an acceptable alternative document for crossing the United States’ land and sea borders.

Participation is voluntary, and the cost is only $15 more than a regular Washington driver license or ID card. Security enhancements in the EDL/ID are industry best practices:

An icon on the card indicating it is an EDL/ID
Machine Readable Zone for scanning
Passive vicinity radio frequency identification (RFID) is embedded in the card enabling rapid identification checks
RFID tag, with a unique reference number, contains no cardholder personal information
Data encryption, secure networks, and firewalls protect transmissions

EDL/ID success is attributable to collaboration between numerous stakeholders: Washington State Department of Licensing, Department of Information Services, Department of Personnel, and the Governor’s Office; the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Department of Homeland Security, Department of State; the Provincial Government of British Columbia; and the card vendor.

"I’m very proud of our Enhanced Driver’s License, and it’s just one step of many we are taking and will continue to take to make it easier to grow our economies on a regional level . . . We know we need regional solutions if we want our families, our trade, and our shared economies to prosper. In fact, we have to get it right. We can’t afford not to."
The Honorable Christine Gregoire, Governor, State of Washington

FINALISTS:
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Michigan
Government, Business and Academia collaboration to increase supply of graduating technology professionals, and promote economic growth

Virginia
University IT Internship Partnership

OTHER NOMINATIONS:
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Georgia
Metro Atlanta Urban Area Security Interoperability Communications Consortium

Illinois
Child Support Enforcement - Denial of Driving Privileges

Kansas
Applying Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Technology to the Art and Science of Economic Development at the Kansas Department of Commerce

Kentucky
Green IT Program Initiative - eScrap

Minnesota
The Minnesota Health Information Exchange (MN HIE) Medication History Project

North Carolina
North Carolina Learning Object Repository (NCLOR)

New York
NY-Alert

Oklahoma
Oklahoma Computer Crimes Alliance