Driver's license might not be enough to travel by air

Minnesota is one of a handful of states where air travelers might need more than a driver's license to get through airport security.

The federal Department of Homeland Security could impose new national driver's license standards for air travel as early as next year. Minnesotans would need another form of identification to board a plane. The St. Paul Pioneer Press says that might include a passport or enhanced driver's license.

Congress passed a law setting national ID standards in 2005. Minnesota legislators were concerned, in part, about costs involved in changing driver's licenses, so they passed their own law in 2009 prohibiting the state from complying with the federal standards.

Minnesotans have option of applying for an enhanced driver's license, which serves as a passport for limited travel, but is more expensive.