In addition, another 10 have passed resolutions denouncing Real ID, while anti Real-ID legislation has been introduced in five other states.

The growing number of states blocking Real ID is sure to increase the pressure on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which is responsible for overseeing the standard, to either drop the initiative or somehow make it more acceptable to states. It's a particularly because DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano was among the first to reject Real ID as former governor of Arizona.

The Real ID Act was approved by Congress and signed into law by President Bush in 2005 as part of the government's effort to combat terrorism. Though states are not mandated to implement it, all citizens will eventually need ID cards that comply with the Real ID requirements in order to board planes, enter federal buildings and receive benefits from the federal government. Between 2006 and 2008, the DHS handed out more than $360 million in grants to states for implementing Real ID.

Critics have said the bill will create a de facto national identity card system that could allow an individual's movements and activities to be tracked for a variety of reasons. Because Real ID requires more documentation and identity verification requirements, many also fear it will require states to overhaul their existing driver's license systems at a cost considerably greater than what the federal government appears to have set aside for the initiative.

Under the act, all state driver's license databases would be linked, with shared access across them. The system will allow information in a person's record in any state to be accessible by officials in other states, and by the federal government.