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Minutes for SB477 - Committee on Transportation
Short Title
Providing for digital proof of driver's license and digital proof of identification card and regulating the use thereof.
Minutes Content for Thu, Feb 15, 2024
The Chair opened the hearing on SB477.
Mr. Siebers provided a briefing on the bill. He said the bill provides for the issuance of digital proof of driver's licenses and digital proof of identification cards and gives authority to the Division of Vehicles to develop a credentialing system, set limits on data storage, and the use of the data (Attachment 1). Mr. Siebers traced the regulations and restrictions to be applied to development of the system.
David Harper, Director, Division of Vehicles, Kansas Department of Revenue (KDOR), testified as a proponent for the bill (Attachment 2). He referenced authority granted by SB25 (2023) to modernize driver's licenses; this bill is the first step in developing electronic use of a digital driver's license; the license can be stored on a mobile device and designed to be compatible with federal regulations. He assured members that the bill does not give KDOR authority to issue digital credentials or change the current process for issuing driver's licenses/identification credentials. He noted the advantages of such identification and said the Division is working with law enforcement to assure privacy and safety. He commented that to date eleven other states have digital driver's licenses and twenty-one others are in process of developing them.
Mr. Harper responded to members' questions:
- Challenges vary from choosing vendors to establishing safety regulations.
- To date there is no information to show how third parties can release personal information; current policy is only by consent of the individual.
- KDOT's present Information Technology vendor contract expires in 2025. The process of finding a new vendor can be avoided by using a more familiar reliable vendor.
Ed Klumpp, Legislative Liaison, Kansas Association of Chiefs of Police, Kansas Sheriffs Association, and Kansas Peace Officers Association, provided neutral testimony regarding the bill (Attachment 3). He explained that he has been extensively involved with the Division in developing the bill, and he looks forward to continued involvement. He reviewed the procedures used by law enforcement in requesting a driver's license and expressed concern regarding an officer's handling of a person's phone. Responding to an earlier question, he explained that current processes for verifying insurance coverage would not be affected by this bill.
Missy Leavitt, Western Kansas Citizen, via Web-ex testified as an opponent to the bill (Attachment 4). She cited information from the Help America Vote Act of 2002 that deals with verifying information of newly registered voters for federal elections. She expressed concern regarding the disparity in comparing a voter's registration with a person's driver's license; she provided state-by-state data to show these discrepancies and concluded that an electronic driver's license opens the way for fraudulent use (Attachment 5), (Attachment 6), (Attachment 7), and (Attachment 8).
Written-only opponent testimony was provided by:
- Kari Sue Vosburgh, We The People Kansas, Sedgwick County Precinct Committeewoman (Attachment 9); and
- Brett Anderson, We The People Kansas, Sedgwick County Precinct Committeeman (Attachment 10).
The Chair closed the hearing on SB477.
