Nevada DMV gets Real ID Act extension through Dec. 31, 2009

CARSON CITY -- The state Department of Motor Vehicles has been granted a Real ID Act extension by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that will allow Nevada's current driver's licenses to be accepted for federal purposes through Dec. 31, 2009.

The law is intended to make it more difficult for terrorists, illegal immigrants and others to obtain official identification.

Earlier this month, the state Board of Examiners approved a contract for $29.2 million to plan and deliver a driver's license system that meets federal Real ID standards. Digimarc, which supplies the driver's licenses now issued by the state, also will supply the new secure licenses.

DMV Director Ginny Lewis has said the new licenses will have 15 security features instead of the current design's five, making them much more difficult to counterfeit.