State lawmakers are rejecting a proposal to stop the issuing of Real ID licenses and identification cards that meet strict federal security requirements.

The Senate rejected the bill on Tuesday after the House heavily voted it down (109-34) last week.

The measure was sponsored by Republican Representative Laurel Libby of Auburn, who, along with other critics, claims Real ID is a privacy infringement.

It comes after the federal government started requiring a Real ID to board a domestic airline flight earlier this month. Currently, people without the enhanced ID can board the flights after security delays.

Enforcement of Real ID was delayed numerous times over the years after being approved in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Secretary of State Shenna Bellows opposed the bill in the legislature, saying it would make Maine the only state in the union unable to provide its residents with a federally accepted credential, forcing Mainers to submit their data to the federal government directly.

Bellows was joined by five Democrats, who cosponsored the bill, who say Real ID raises privacy and security issues.

Secretary Bellows led a bipartisan group of lawmakers asking the federal government to phase in enforcement of the rule by issuing warnings to travelers without Real ID. That request was formally denied, although travelers without the ID are still able to board air flights after additional security delays.