BY JONATHAN E. KAPLAN

Washington, D.C. Correspondent

The federal government has awarded Maine $1 million -- about half of the amount the state requested -- to begin upgrading the security of its drivers' licenses.

Gov. John Baldacci had requested $2.1 million to help the administration comply with a new driver's license law that was pushed through the Legislature this past spring. Baldacci agreed to seek changes to the state's driver's license law after the federal government threatened to stop accepting Maine licenses when its residents wanted to board a plane or enter a federal building.

The Legislature agreed to tighten procedures for issuing Maine driver's licenses, in part by requiring that applicants prove they are in the country legally. The law also requires the Bureau of Motor Vehicles to take steps to make sure applicants are not issued multiple licenses and that only state residents are issued licenses.

The Legislature agreed to tighten procedures for issuing Maine driver's licenses, in part by requiring that applicants prove they are in the country legally. The law also requires the Bureau of Motor Vehicles to take steps to make sure applicants are not issued multiple licenses and that only state residents are issued licenses.

The state has until Dec. 15 to make the changes.

The law passed in April allowed the state to bypass a law passed a year earlier that bars the state from spending money to comply with the Real ID law, which Congress passed in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks to make drivers' licenses less susceptible to fraud.

The federal law is supposed to make the states' driver's licenses more uniform and secure.

The money awarded Friday by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security "will be used to establish the systems and enhance security of Maine's driver's licenses," Anne Jordan, the state's public safety commissioner said. The federal government did not specify how the money should be spent.

The Maine Secretary of State's office, which oversees the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, the agency responsible for implementing a state law to meet new federal standards for driver's licenses, will get the $1 million grant.

Politicians across the political spectrum have called the program an unfunded mandate. Many questioned whether the money could make a difference in getting the program up and running.

"Rather than provide the state of Maine with the funds we need to implement Real ID, the federal government has provided what amounts to about half-a-percent, a mere drop in the bucket, that it would cost to comply with this federal mandate," Republican U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe said in a statement Monday.

Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap said "even in the rosiest scenario, we're talking $70 million, barely a match to get the fire started."

But David Farmer, the governor's spokesman, said in an e-mail Monday that "the grant is a good down payment toward making sure Maine has the technology to appropriately screen applicants for state credentials."

In a hearing before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee in April, Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins urged a Homeland Security official to seek $1 billion from Congress to help states comply with the program's costs.

The official declined.

Jen Burita, a spokeswoman for Collins, said in an e-mail Monday that the senator "hopes the funding provided will be a downpayment that can help Maine implement the common sense reforms that Gov. Baldacci put forth earlier this year."

In a prepared statement Monday, Democratic U.S. Rep. Tom Allen renewed his call for Congress to pass his legislation to scrap the program and replace it with a law that accomplishes the program's goals without "threatening out civil liberties and imposing unnecessary administrative and financial burdens."

Democratic U.S. Rep. Michael Michaud has signed on to Allen's bill to repeal Real ID.

Other critics have argued that the Real ID law would lead to privacy violations.

The Maine Civil Liberties Union, an opponent of the Real ID law, supports an ongoing people's veto campaign to force a referendum on repealing the new law. Organizers have until July 17 to submit 55,087 voters' signatures to get the question on the Nov. 4 ballot.