U.S. House Resolution 3935
Legislation
State: United States
Signed: May 16, 2024
Effective: May 16, 2024
Chapter: Public Law No. 118-63
SummaryAs part of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, HR 3935 directs the Director of the Federal Aviation Administration to take steps to accept digital or mobile driver’s licenses and identification cards issued by a state.
AffectsAmends Title 49 of the United States Code.
Changes
- Requires the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration to take such actions as may be necessary to accept, in any instance where an individual is required to submit government-issued identification to the Administrator, a digital or mobile driver’s license or identification card issued to such individual by any state of the United States.
AnalysisIn a win for proponents of mobile driver’s licenses (mDL) and mobile identification cards (mID), the Director or the Federal Aviation Administration has been directed to take such actions as may be necessary for the FAA to accept mDLs and mIDs in any circumstances in which an individual is required to submit government-issued IDs. This provision appears as Section 1103 of House Resolution 3935 (FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024), which extends authorization to the FAA through 2028. Congress passed the legislation, and the president signed it, a day before the FAA’s current authorization was set to expire. The Director of the FAA now must “take such actions as may be necessary” to ensure mDLs and mIDs are accepted. This means that we should expect further actions to implement the provision, which may include regulations. Thus, although the bill is in effect now, the broad acceptance of mDLs and mIDs should not be interpreted as in effect now.
The NNA has been tracking the adoption of mDLs and mIDs state-by-state. At some future point Notaries will be authorized to accept these digital IDs to verify the identity of document signers for notarial acts.
Read House Resolution 3935 (click on Section 1103).