Feds miss HSPD-12 deadline

The federal government wanted to make sure 5.6 million federal workers and contractors had their high-tech identification cards--or HSPD-12 cards--in hand by October 2008. But whoops, it missed the deadline by months.

In budget documents released on May 11, the White House said about 48 percent of the cards--2.7 million--had been issued, but it's still unclear when the remainder would be available. The high-tech ID cards are an essential component of securing federal buildings and locations and making sure contractors and federal employees are properly identified before gaining access to these facilities.

President Bush's original 2004 order called for a common high-tech ID card that included a photo and computer chip with fingerprints, a personal ID number and security access information, giving a worker a green light to enter a secure location.

"It turned out to be a more daunting task than the government realized," said John Palguta, vice president of policy for the Partnership for Public Service. "We need to have secure credentials in today's world. Let's hope the last 52 percent doesn't take as long as the first 48 percent."

For more on the status of HSPD-12 cards:
- check out this Federal Times article