Homeland Security intends to block Federal Building access for Social Security recipients

[eridani]

Please call and email our representatives to do something about this bullshit--

As you will learn from reading below, Homeland Security intends to impose an ID requirement at the Jackson Federal Building beginning Jan. 19 that will exclude many, if not most Social Security recipients from entering the building and accessing the Social Security office.

This is very serious. Please contact the following people on behalf of your organization or as an individual and express your anger at this new obstacle to accessing services for which all of us have paid. This must not be allowed to stand.

Rep. Adam Smith - contact Debra Entenman [phone] [e-mail]
Rep. McDermott - contact Olivia Robinson [phone] [e-mail]
Sen. Cantwell - contact Sara Crumb [phone] [e-mail]
Sen. Murray - contact Mindi Linquist [phone] [e-mail]

Are you aware of this pending change? This was in a recent memo to federal building tenants:

"The Department of Homeland Security has established the Real ID Act. Effective January 19, 2015, the Washington State Driver License will no longer be an acceptable form of identification for entrance to government buildings. The Jackson Federal Building and the Federal Office Building, which are level 4 buildings, will require visitors to show a passport or a Washington State Enhanced Driver License to enter the buildings."

Jonathan Rosenblum
Seattle, WA

[diabeticman]

1. This papers please--correct ID of all times is really getting crazy.

[bananas]

2. Authoritarian zealots will love this! nt

[freshwest]

3. What's the link to this story? We need a source other than an email to make this go viral.

[eridani]

4. So far it's a copy of a memo that a worker in the Federal Building received recently

I'll see if I can't get Social Security Works to put a scan up on their website.

[freshwest]

5. TIA.

[JDPriestly]

6. The First Amendment guarantees our right to petition the government.

Certainly, trying to petition for Social Security should be a protected right.

Normally, the Supreme Court interprets the Constitution to permit the government to regulate our exercise of our rights. Under that theory, the government might be able to impose the requirement that someone wishing to get into a federal building to petition the government about Social Security show a certain type of ID would be OK.

But -- on the other hand, the Supreme Court seems to think that the right of corporations to spend money on political campaigns is an absolute right that cannot be subject to regulations.

The individual's exercise of the First Amendment right to petition the government can be subject to "reasonable" regulation, but the corporations' exercise of the First Amendment right to spend money on campaigns is considered to be free speech that cannot be regulated.


Now does this make sense to you???

Go figure.

[SheilaT]

7. I did a quick google search on this, and the only

reference to this was this DU posting.

Why do you think most Social Security recipients don't have other ID? What is your source for this?

[eridani]

8. Locals in the low income district formerly served by the International District office--

--fucking well do NOT have passports! The source is an employee working in the secured area of the Federal Building who passed the memo to the chare of our local retiree organization. Traffic has dropped by 2/3 since the offices were put under security requiring a driver's license, so these people have nowhere to go to settle SocSec inquiries.

[SheilaT]

9. So they need a passport to enter the building?

What's wrong with other forms of ID, such as a driver's license.

There is still something just a little off about this. If your only source is an employee, how about posting the actual memo.

[eridani]

10. I have to get the informant to scan it first.

No, a drivers license will no longer get you in as of 1/2015. Since the outside office was closed, the traffic has already dropped by 2/3. People are just not getting benefits or getting questions answered.

[SheilaT]

12. Have you thought of going to snopes on this?

They do have a piece on the Real ID Act and all that says is you need a photo ID, like a driver's license. This sounds suspiciously like one of the things bandied about by the right wing and other idiots.

[eridani]

14. Not relevant. My contact will get the scan done on Monday n/t

[SheilaT]

17. I can hardly wait to see the scan, since

nothing is showing up about this on an internet search. I suspect this is similar to a lot of the nonsense that was put out there after the Real ID Act -- a totally stupid piece of legislation in my personal opinion -- was passed.

[pscot]

11. This is nuts

[indepat]

13. Gracious, how quickly Homeland Security seems to have gotten too big for their britches all the

while the part of their brains that reasons seems to have atrophied. Is Homeland Security vying with Republicans to see who can suppress the constitutional rights of the most citizens? Shame, shame on the administration for rivaling the Republicans in the suppression of constitutional rights. Anyone got any good 'show me your papers' jokes?

[eridani]

15. Stringent new ID laws do not just apply in this case

I do not currently own a birth certificate other than a form filled out by the hospital where I was born. In 2000, this was not enough to get a regular passport, so I got a temporary one year version. At that time, copies were not available on line. Since I saw this link, I checked online options and was able to order a copy for $50.45. Consider a low income person whose first language is not English, who doesn't have a credit card, and not a clue about how to do anything online. No access barriers there--nosireebob!

http://www.dmv.org/articles/the-real-id-act-are-you-ready-for-a-national-id/

The REAL ID Act sets forth new federally mandated requirements for all state driver’s licenses and ID cards. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has set standards not entirely dissimilar from the requirements already in place for most states throughout the country. On each ID, the following information must be present:

Full legal name
Residential address
Birth date
Gender
Driver’s license/identification card number
Digital front-facing photograph
Signature

Driver’s licenses and IDs must now also include a common barcode and security devices to prevent any tampering with or counterfeiting of the card, and must display a star in the upper right-hand corner, signifying that your identification has been approved by the TSA and your identity has been verified. There are also new requirements put in place to obtain an ID or license; all applicants must present the following documents during the application process:

A photo ID, or non-photo ID that contains the applicant’s full legal name and birth date
Valid birth certificate
Social Security number
Proof of legal U.S. citizenship, OR proof of lawful admittance into or temporary residence within the U.S.

Lastly, each state must also agree to share its database of licensed citizens and drivers with all other states, including every piece of data on the cards themselves (name, address, birth date, etc.), along with all driving records and driver histories of everyone licensed to drive in the state.

[SheilaT]

16. I don't know what state you were born in,

but in Pennsylvania, the hospitals would issue a certificate that got those people almost everything they needed, until they might need a passport. At that point, they needed a real birth certificate.

When I was growing up, my baptismal certificate from the Catholic Church was considered good proof of birth and citizenship.

[eridani]

18. Yes--that used to be true in Illinois as well. Not anymore, though n/t

[eridani]

19. Good news! The SocSec workers union may be able to block this.

Email exchange--

Subject: Re: REPLY -- ID Requirement at Seattle's Jackson Federal Building
Mr. Friendship:

Please explain explicitly the process that an SSA client must use to enter the federal building in Seattle. Will a mere statement that they are visiting the SSA office exempt the customer from any further questioning and identification procedure? If so, please provide the Homeland Security document that states that this is the case.

I am disappointed that you complained to Local 3937 union officials that you had a problem with my addressing this important issue of access to federal buildings by customers of SSA. I suggest that if you object to my representation of SSA employees and my advocacy of SSA customers that you do so directly with me. My phone number is 312-925-0598. I look forward to hearing from you.

I, by the way, object to your actions in closing two offices in Seattle and replacing them with the obviously inconvenient and difficult to access location in the federal building. You did this despite the objections from representatives of the employees and the community. Such unjustified closures made it more difficult for Seattle residents to get their SSA business done. That constitutes a disservice to the community for which you are responsible.

Witold Skwierczynski
President
AFGE Council 220

On Friday, November 7, 2014 10:29 AM, "Friendship, Stanley C." <[e-mail]> wrote:

Hi Witold,

Nancy Berryhill, Deputy Commissioner for Operations, forwarded me your recent inquiry about access to Seattle’s Jackson Federal Building. As previously planned, I met with local AFGE leadership during our regional forum yesterday and discussed this topic with them. We verified that the Federal Protective Service (FPS) anticipates no impact on SSA employees or visitors in January; FPS confirmed that there is an exception to the identification requirements for any visitor to an SSA or non-SSA federal facility for any member of the public who states they are there to conduct business with us. My staff continue to work closely with FPS to ensure that all members of the public can visit our Seattle Metro Field Office, regardless of whether or not they have identification.

Thank you for the opportunity to address your concern.

Stanley Friendship
Regional Commissioner

From: Witold Skwierczynski [mailto:[e-mail]]
Sent: Thursday, November 06, 2014 11:18 AM
To: [e-mail] <[e-mail]>; [e-mail] <[e-mail]>; [e-mail] <[e-mail]>; [e-mail] <[e-mail]>; Berryhill, Nancy
Subject: Re: Fwd: ID requirement at Jackson Federal Building will exclude many if not most Soc. Sec. recipients

Nancy:

SSA moved to the Seattle federal Bldg over the objections of AFGE and many community leaders. SSA assured AFGE and community leaders that customers would have easy access to the building.

Such access no longer will exist effective January.

SSA has 2 options:

-- Reverse the ruling re access to the Seattle federal bldg for SSA customers
--Move back to the 2 community based areas that were closed when employees were forced to move to the federal bldg.

Which choice will SSA make?

Keeping an office open that most clients can't access is ludicrous.

Witold Skwierczynski
President
AFGE Council 220

On Wednesday, November 5, 2014 7:01 PM, "[e-mail]" <[e-mail]> wrote:

-----Original Message-----
From: Kitchin-Kofahl, Carolyn <[e-mail]>
To: 'Kofahl, Steve' ([e-mail])
Sent: Wed, Nov 5, 2014 2:02 pm
Subject: FW: ID requirement at Jackson Federal Building will exclude many if not most Soc. Sec. recipients

FYI – what they have learned thus far, I would imagine, is that they should never have moved there . . . Carrie

From: Mezo, Liana
Sent: Wednesday, November 05, 2014 1:23 PM
To: Kitchin-Kofahl, Carolyn; Kofahl, Steve RO Seattle
Subject: FW: ID requirement at Jackson Federal Building will exclude many if not most Soc. Sec. recipients

Carrie and Steve –

Thanks for referring this issue to us. I don’t anticipate inviting any outside parties to tomorrow’s Forum, but we will be prepared to discuss what we’ve learned thus far.

Liana

From: [e-mail]
Sent: Friday, October 31, 2014 10:10 PM
To: Mezo, Liana
Cc: Kitchin-Kofahl, Carolyn; [e-mail]
Subject: Fwd: ID requirement at Jackson Federal Building will exclude many if not most Soc. Sec. recipients
Liana,

Carrie has requested that I ask you to place this subject on the agenda for Thursday's Regional DCO Forum meeting as an urgent issue, and that DHS officials with decision-making authority be invited to join us.
Steve

-----Original Message-----
From: Robby Stern

Sent: Fri, Oct 31, 2014 5:21 pm
Subject: ID requirement at Jackson Federal Building will exclude many if not most Soc. Sec. recipients

As you will learn from reading below, Homeland Security intends to impose an ID requirement at the Jackson Federal Building beginning Jan. 19 that will exclude many, if not most Social Security recipients from entering the building and accessing the Social Security office.

This is very serious. Please contact the following people on behalf of your organization or as an individual and express your anger at this new obstacle to accessing services for which all of us have paid. This must not be allowed to stand.

Rep. Adam Smith - contact Debra Entenman [phone] [e-mail]
Rep. McDermott - contact Olivia Robinson [phone] [e-mail]
Sen. Cantwell - contact Sara Crumb [phone] [e-mail]
Sen. Murray - contact Mindi Linquist [phone] [e-mail]

Thanks,
Robby

From: Jonathan Rosenblum
Sent: Thursday, October 30, 2014 10:04 PM
To: [e-mail]
Subject: ID requirement at Jackson Federal Building

Are you aware of this pending change? This was in a recent memo to federal building tenants:
"The Department of Homeland Security has established the Real ID Act. Effective January 19, 2015, the Washington State Driver License will no longer be an acceptable form of identification for entrance to government buildings. The Jackson Federal Building and the Federal Office Building, which are level 4 buildings, will require visitors to show a passport or a Washington State Enhanced Driver License to enter the buildings."

Jonathan Rosenblum
Seattle, WA

[onecent]

20. This was all over the news this morning, saying something about the patriot act, and

that Missouri is refusing to honor it, although our driver's license will be no good to enter federal buildings, nor to fly in the
United States.

I flip around with the news...but I heard it on 2 separate stations, with no indication of what us people from Missouri are
suppose to use for an ID.

Where do we go for such an item???? HOW MUCH DO THEY charge all these poor people in America...

Big Brother is here...for sure