CARSON CITY -- Senate Transportation Chairman Dennis Nolan said Thursday that Nevada should take advantage of an 18-month extension offered to states from having to implement the Real ID Act mandated by Congress and set to begin in May 2008.

"It's good news," he said. "It means they've heard on a large scale that there is dissatisfaction with the Real ID Act."

A delay would give Congress more time to alter the program, said Nolan, R-Las Vegas.

"There is building momentum in Congress to make more radical changes to the act," he said.

If it remains unchanged, the law will require Nevadans to make an appearance at a DMV office to prove who they are to obtain a new driver's license. This is expected to lead to long waits and confusion over the documents needed to prove a person's identity.

Both Nolan and his Assembly counterpart, Transportation Chairman Kelvin Atkinson, D-North Las Vegas, are seeking nonbinding resolutions asking for a complete revamping of the Real ID Act by Congress.

Nolan's view was countered by Ginny Lewis, director of the Department of Motor Vehicles, who said the state should not seek a delay.

In a comment from her office, Lewis said: "We see no compelling reason to delay our plan to begin issuing Real ID compliant driver licenses in May of 2008. All states must be compliant by 2013 regardless of whether they delay implementation so we see no advantage in putting that off. By beginning May 2008, Nevada will have the maximum time allowed to complete the process."

Melissa Subbotin, press secretary to Gov. Jim Gibbons, said the governor is pleased that the federal Homeland Security Department has responded to the concerns about implementation of the Real ID Act. A decision has not yet been made on whether Nevada should seek a delay, she said.

Gibbons has requested $30 million in his proposed budget to implement the Real ID Act over the coming two years. The money would allow the state to hire 196 additional DMV employees and keep key offices open as long as 12 hours per day. The average wait time at a DMV in Nevada last year was 56 minutes.

In letters addressed to the chairmen and ranking members of the U.S. House and Senate Appropriations and Budget committees sent last month, Gibbons said: "Two years ago, I supported this legislation as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. As governor of Nevada, I continue to support it because I strongly believe that Real ID is a critical and necessary step to strengthen our nation's homeland security."

Nolan also said it is good news that some federal homeland security funding can be used to help pay for the cost of the program should it proceed to full implementation. It is expected to cost about $66 million over four years, and until the announcement there was no federal funding available.

The deal announced Thursday by the Bush administration would allow states to spend up to 20 percent of their homeland security grant money to comply. Based on the grant amount awarded to Nevada in fiscal year 2005-06, about $1.2 million would have been available to help defray the cost of the Real ID program.