With a deadline looming for states to seek extensions on complying with stricter driver's license requirements, South Carolina lawmakers urged the governor Thursday to ask for one so residents won't be hampered when boarding airplanes or entering federal buildings.

South Carolina, Maine and Montana are the only states that have not sought extensions or moved toward compliance with the Real ID law, which was passed after the 2001 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington.

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff has argued that standards need to be raised for obtaining government-issued IDs. Driver's licenses compliant with Real ID would have several layers of new security features to prevent forgery. They would also be issued after a number of identity checks, including verification of birth certificates.

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Other states have balked at implementing the requirements, saying they are costly, impractical and an invasion of privacy. Six, including South Carolina, have passed measures saying they won't comply, the most extreme stances among more than two dozen states that have complained.

Chertoff has warned that any state that does not seek an extension by the end of March will find that, come May, their residents will not be able to use their licenses to board domestic flights. Federal authorities hope all states will be in compliance with the law in 2011.

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