By Declan McCullagh and Anne Broache
Staff Writers, CNET News.com
February 5, 2008 4:00 AM PST

The nation’s capital attracts more than 15 million visitors a year, mostly leisure travelers who often make their way to the city’s official visitor center, which is conveniently located downtown in a corner of the Ronald Reagan building.

Or was that inconveniently located? Starting May 11, Americans living in states that don’t comply with new federal regulations could be barred from entering Washington D.C.’s visitor center and collecting the complimentary maps and brochures—unless they happen to bring a U.S. passport or military ID with them.

That not-very-welcoming rule is part of a 2005 law called the Real ID Act, which takes effect in just over three months. It says that driver’s licenses from states that have not agreed to Real ID mandates from the Department of Homeland Security, or which have not requested a deadline extension, can no longer be used to access “federal facilities.”

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