JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - The leader of a movement against national driver's licenses promoted legislation Tuesday that would prompt a showdown between the states and the federal government.

While some lawmakers alluded to fears of the Federal Real ID Act of 2005 as conspiracy theories, state Rep. Jim Guest, R-King City, warned that requirements that could come down from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security would put Missourians' identities at risk, pointing to easily scannable biometric technology.

"We do not need Big Brother watching us and knowing where we are," Mr. Guest said.

Mr. Guest on Tuesday reintroduced legislation to a new Real ID and personal privacy committee he chairs. The measure died in the Legislature last year.

States have until this December to comply with one of the 18 Real ID benchmarks - to validate that residents are legally present in the United States before issuing them a license, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

Full compliance is due by 2017. Driver's licenses in states that don't comply with the benchmarks will not be accepted as valid forms of identification when boarding airplanes or entering certain federal buildings.

"Your constituents will have trouble at airports," said Chris Pieper, legislative liaison for the Missouri Department of Revenue. "We don't want to play chicken with the federal government."

But Missouri isn't alone.

Mr. Guest said legislatures in 26 states have passed some sort of anti-Real ID legislation. Eleven have successfully changed state law to reject Real ID requirements.

Mr. Guest, who also leads Legislators Against Real ID, particularly challenges the use of biometric codes on the cards, which already exist on driver's licenses in Missouri to make them scannable for law enforcement. The current codes on Missouri cards only include information already visible on the front of the driver's license, according to the Missouri Department of Revenue.

However, Mr. Guest anticipates Real ID would require states to include stronger biometric codes that could store much more information, such as private medical records and Social Security numbers that would be easily susceptible to hackers. Real ID requirements also may have states share the information with each other and the federal government in multiple databases.

Mr. Guest took static from some of his own committee members. Rep. Ryan Silvey, R-Kansas City, said he'd previously supported anti-Real ID legislation, but has since changed his stance, accusing Mr. Guest of basing his arguments on anecdotal evidence.

Rep. James Viebrock, R-Republic, said he identified with the bill's original intentions, to curb illegal immigration and terrorist activity, referring to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

"If we'd known a little bit more about the people on that aircraft, then perhaps that wouldn't have happened," Mr. Viebrock said. "If you're a law-abiding citizen, then what do you have to hide?"

Also Tuesday, Mr. Guest proposed a resolution (HCR 13) that reclaims Missouri's sovereignty under the U.S. Constitution's Tenth Amendment, arguing that the national government issues too many federal mandates.

Rep. Steve Brown, D-St. Louis, questioned the need for the Legislature to approve a resolution that essentially "restates the Bill of Rights."

"There's plenty of (other) work to do in this building," Mr. Brown said.

Alyson E. Raletz can be reached at alysonraletz@npgco.com.