The Bush administration will release Jan. 11 a revised set of minimum federal standards that states must meet when issuing driver’s licenses and identification cards as mandated by the Real ID Act of 2005, said Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff.

DHS reviewed approximately 21,000 comments received after first proposing Real ID standards in March 2007. The department submitted the revised rules to the Office of Management and Budget in late November.

Chertoff said DHS had worked closely with states to come up with a cost-effective plan for implementing Real ID, describing it as a “very important success” and one that is key to carrying out recommendations of the 9-11 Commission. 

It’s "a win-win,” he told members of the Homeland Security Advisory Council today.

Privacy advocates, however, have expressed concerns about the program, particularly about how Real ID-related data will be stored and shared. The American Civil Liberties Union has planned a press conference tomorrow to discuss the new standards.