LOUISVILLE, Ky (WDRB) -- A bill moving through the Kentucky general assembly would shift the some of the responsibility for driver’s licenses renewal back to local officials.
It's a move the senate sponsor said could help prevent fraud and reduce the frustration many Kentuckians have faced at regional licensing centers.
Sen. Aaron Reed, R-Shelbyville, said Senate Bill 7 is in direct response to public outcry over long lines and long drives to regional offices.
“It’s the answer to the outcry from Kentuckians across the state who have all been sick and tired of long drives and long lines and, you know, somewhat of a broken system,” Reed said.
The legislation would give local governments the option to once again handle renewals. Counties could designate circuit clerks, county clerks, sheriffs, or county judges to process license renewals — though new licenses would still be issued by the state.
“We’re going to allow circuit clerks, county clerks, sheriffs and your county judges the option to bring it into their office — one of the four,” Reed explained.
The change comes months after WDRB's Investigates team exposed driver’s license fraud at a Louisville branch. Former employee Melissa Moorman told WDRB her co-workers sold licenses under the table to immigrants who could not legally obtain them.
Reed said his bill would not open the door for similar abuses.
“There will be absolutely no opportunity for fraud in that regard,” he said. “We’re hoping that your investigative reporting this past summer will shed light on that and prevent it from happening. Hopefully we’re inoculated from that issue.”
WDRB first reported on the state’s license fraud investigation last April after obtaining a leaked revocation notice. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet had sent more than 2,000 letters to drivers warning of “irregularities” in their licenses, saying they were “issued in error, invalid and will be canceled” — and threatening criminal charges if they were not returned.
The agency initially violated open records laws by trying to withhold those documents from WDRB. When WDRB won access to them in court, they revealed fraudulent licenses had been distributed across the state.
“I know the attorney general’s office is investigating as well,” Reed said. “Hopefully they can get to the bottom of it and nip that in the bud.”
The bill has drawn bipartisan support in the Senate, with 28 co-sponsors. Lawmakers could vote to send it out of the Senate by the end of the week.
To read Senate Bill 7 in its current form, introduced Tuesday, click here.
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