Senator Sununu feels the same way.

The lawmakers are likely to take the issue up again during the 110th Congress. Sen. Daniel Akaka, a Hawaii Democrat, and Sen. John Sununu, a New Hampshire Republican, are pushing for individual privacy protections and lower costs for state governments. If the Department of Homeland Security will not agree to changes that reduce the burden on state governments and increase privacy protections for citizens, Akaka said he would try to have the national ID law repealed.

Akaka echoed complaints from hundreds of groups -- including the National Rifle Association, the American Civil Liberties Union, and associations representing state lawmakers -- in criticizing the legislation. He noted that the law was attached to defense spending, tsunami relief, and terror prevention. He said the proposal was not subjected to scrutiny, floor debate, or hearings before Congress was "forced" to pass it.

The Real ID Act requires state licenses and identification to meet a series of requirements in order to be considered valid for entering federal buildings or boarding planes.

He pointed to a study by the National Governors' Association that concluded states would have to spend $1.42 billion to meet the act's requirement that state governments electronically verify all documents people use when obtaining drivers licenses. A re-enrollment requirement would cost about $8 billion in five years, he said. The whole program would cost $11 billion, according to the governors' association.