You have less than one year to make sure your license complies with new regulations or you won't be able to fly domestically. MPB's Kobee Vance reports on the little gold star that has started to appear on state-issued IDs and drivers licenses.
Starting in October of 2020, all domestic flights will require a Real ID. That little gold star on the top right of your license means you have passed a pre-test. It's part of a nationwide effort to vet passengers before they fly on federally regulated flights. It's estimated that 1.5 million Mississippians do not have the star yet.
Lt. Colonel Kenneth Brown is the Director of the Driver Service Bureau in Mississippi. He explained what the gold star means for federal security.
"The gold star really just lets everyone know that we have one ID, one credential. And what that means is that what we have done is vetted, we vetted all of the documentation such as the birth certificate and social security cards that lets us know that you are a US citizen. So that gold star lets everyone know sees, be it on the federal level or in-state, that that person has been vetted."
The deadline is less than a year away, and officials are trying to inform the public ahead of time.
LSherie Dean is the Public Information Officer for the Jackson Municipal Airport Authority.
"We don't want people to come into the airport, and they're looking forward to going on their trips and stuff, and can't get on the flight."
The press conference today was announcing a new campaign to raise awareness for the change, so travelers aren't caught off guard next October.
