You now need a Real ID to do several things including travel by air. You aren't totally hosed if you haven't gotten one yet though, there are ways to get around this. Several other documents will work if you don't yet have the new "Real ID".
A Texas man with a REAL ID license expiring before vacation faces renewal delays and digs into TSA’s rules for flying with an expired or temporary license.
We haven’t heard anything from the TSA about how many actual terrorist plots it prevented in 2011. In fact, we have no real report on how much safer it was to fly around the country in 2011 because of the efforts of our favorite, invasive security agency. What we do have, though, is a list of the ridiculous things they have taken from Americans who dare to forget what they’ve been carrying in their carry-ons.