The Wisconsin State Assembly passed a bill Wednesday requiring residents to provide proof they are in the United States legally in order to receive a driver's license or state identification card.

The Identification Security Act is intended to place the state in compliance with the REAL ID law passed in Congress and signed by President George Bush, which requires all states to establish a policy that makes citizens seeking to obtain drivers' licenses or ID cards show proof they are in the country legally.

"It's a necessary measure to do our part as a state to help increase our security at the national level," State Rep. Mark Gundrum, R-New Berlin, said. "Forty-one states have already enacted provisions like this to assure that people are legally in our country before they can get these official identifying documents."

Gundrum, who coauthored the bill, said the legislation would make the state and country safer and would also stymie terrorists' attempts to attack the United States.

"We probably have the loosest security in the country regarding getting drivers' licenses and state ID cards," Gundrum said.

Gundrum said if Wisconsin does not adopt this legislation by 2008, no residents in the state will be able to use drivers' licenses or state-issued ID cards to board airplanes or enter federal buildings due to federal law.

However, State Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Madison, said the bill will be difficult to implement and will only create more of a hassle for the state in the form of longer lines at local Department of Motor Vehicles offices.

"Now they are going to have DMV workers deciding who's a citizen or not without any dollars for training," Pocan said.

The federal government has not yet outlined rules for state compliance with REAL ID, Pocan said, which would make it difficult for the state to enact the bill.

The state Assembly also passed a bill Wednesday that blocks state funding for gender-reassignment procedures for prison inmates.

State Sen. Scott Suder, R-Abbotsford, authored the Inmate Sex Change Prevention Act, which prevents taxpayer money from being spent to give sex-change operations or hormone therapy to inmates in the Wisconsin Correctional System.

"It's important that we prevent what we're calling 'prison extreme makeovers,'" Suder said. "Here in Wisconsin, taxpayers are paying for individuals who want to change their sex in prison."

Suder said because few health-insurance companies cover these types of procedures, the state should not have to foot the bill for medical procedures that are not necessary. There are currently two inmates receiving money to change their sex, he added.

However, opponents of the bill say there are more pressing issues at hand the Assembly should be considering.

State Rep. Spencer Black, D-Madison, said the state already has a policy of not paying for sex-change operations.

"This is typical for the Legislature, where we ignore issues like student aid, education and health care," Black said. "This bill is just to attract attention. If a legislator can use the word 'sex' in a press release, it will draw attention."

Both the Identification Security Act and the Inmate Sex Change Prevention Act will be sent to the state Senate to be voted on in the future. Each bill must be passed in the Senate and signed by Gov. Jim Doyle to become law.

In other legislative action Wednesday:

– Another Suder bill, the Victim's Protection Act, passed the Assembly on a unanimous vote. The bill will make it easier for domestic-abuse victims to obtain restraining orders against their assailants. Only one episode of abuse will be needed for police to issue the order, as opposed to multiple attacks, as is often the case under current law, according to Suder.

– The Assembly unanimously passed AB 648, dealing with the recording of police interrogations and the handling of DNA evidence in criminal investigations. The legislation is based on the recommendations of the Avery Task Force, which for two years considered reforms to prevent a reprise of the conviction of Steven Avery, who was imprisoned for 18 years for a sexual assault he did not commit before being exonerated in 2003.

– Legislation that would create a "Golf Wisconsin" license plate easily passed the Assembly. Authored by Rep. Bob Ziegelbauer, R-Manitowoc, the bill seeks to build on the success of the 2004 PGA Championship in Kohler, Wis., and fund statewide junior golf programs.

— Ryan Masse contributed to this report.