Washington, U.S.A. — Senators Charles Grassley (R-IA), Tom Harkin (D-IA), Mark Kirk (R-IL), and Dick Durbin (D-IL) sent a letter to Zhang Yesui, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China in the United States, regarding recent reports detailing how individuals can obtain high quality counterfeit driver’s licenses from websites operated by companies based in China.

Brian Zimmer, President of the Coalition for a Secure Driver’s License applauded the Senators’ letter:

“Senators Grassley, Kirk, Harkin, and Durbin took an important step for national security today. Counterfeit driver’s licenses pose many risks to public safety and national security. It’s extremely important that the highest levels of the Chinese government be made aware that criminal entrepreneurs operating from their country are undermining the counter terrorism security apparatus of the United States. China faces its own threats from terrorism, and has previously pledged to be a responsible partner in the global war against terrorism.”

Over the past few years, several Chinese-based websites have begun to profit from providing counterfeit driver’s licenses. These websites allow an individual to insert a digital photo and biographic information that typically includes a false age and often a false name into the current state-issued driver’s license or identification card template. The individual then wires $200.00 to the Chinese company and receives two counterfeit driver’s licenses a few weeks later (prices are lower for orders made in bulk). One website contains templates for driver’s licenses for more than 20 states. Mr. Zimmer stated:

The identity card counterfeiting industry in China has expanded exponentially to produce highly sophisticated counterfeits of the driver’s licenses in more than twenty states, and is also producing immigration and work permit documents for customers intending to use them for illegal purposes. The terrorist who blew up a tourist bus in Bulgaria used a fake Michigan driver’s license to hide his real identity, so the risks inherent in exporting thousands of fake driver’s licenses should be self-evident to Chinese security officials.”

The Coalition for a Secure Driver’s License is a non-partisan, not for profit, crime prevention education public charity, supported by donor contributions from across the United States.

The CSDL slogan, “Working to protect the identity of every American”, embodies our commitment to higher standards for both government and private entities that issue identity credentials, especially state agencies that issue driver’s licenses and ID cards. CSDL undertakes research projects addressing best practices for DMVs, compliance with federal laws and regulations, identity fraud prevention and related identity management topics. CSDL provides research results and educational programs to the public and to state and federal officials and is a member of the Document Security Alliance and the American.

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A federal bill introduced Friday December 16 to protect school children from dangerous, and sometimes deadly, restraint and seclusion practices has the support of the National Autism Association (NAA). The “Keeping All Students Safe Act”, introduced by Senator Tom Harkin, provides long-overdue protections to students across the country by prohibiting restraint and seclusion techniques that compromise health and safety.

It’s estimated that over the last five years, more than 200 students, many with disabilities, have died due to seclusion and restraints being used in schools. A 2009 Government Accountability Office (GAO) investigation reported that thousands of students have been physically injured and emotionally traumatized as the result of restraint and seclusion in public schools, and noted specific cases where students died from “mechanical compression to the chest,” or “smothering.”

The study outlined a sampling of other cases, including one schoolchild who died from hanging himself in a seclusion room, a four-year-old girl who was tied to a chair and abused, five children who were duct-taped to their desks, and a ten-year-old boy who was put in a seclusion room “75 times over a 6-month period for hours at a time for offenses such as whistling, slouching and hand-waving.”

“Students with autism and other disabilities are at significant risk for regression, emotional trauma, injury and death as a result of these harmful practices,” states NAA President Wendy Fournier. “Aversive interventions, restraint, and seclusion carry no therapeutic value, and basic protections are a must. We applaud Senator Harkin for introducing this critical piece of legislation.”

Specifically, the Keeping All Students Safe Act would:

Prohibit aversive behavioral interventions that compromise health and safety.

Prohibit physical restraint that is life threatening, including physical restraint that restricts breathing.

Prohibit physical restraint if contraindicated based on the student’s disability, health care needs, or medical or psychiatric condition.

Prohibit the use of seclusions and/or restraints in a student’s Individual Education Plan or any other behavioral plan.

Prohibit seclusion in locked and unattended rooms or enclosures.

Call for states to collect data on the occurrence of seclusions and restraints.

Call for schools to conduct a debriefing with parents and staff after a restraint is used and plan for positive behavioral interventions that will prevent the use of restraints with the student in the future.

Establish a state grant program to enhance the States’ ability to promote, within its LEAs, preventative programming and training for school personnel

To read the 2009 GAO report, visit http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d09719t.pdf. To learn more about restraint and seclusion prevention, visit http://tash.org/tash-offers-free-parent-guide-on-restraint-and-seclusion-’shouldn’t-school-be-safe’/  or http://www.autismsafety.org/.

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