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Committee advances bill to place identifier on licenses for high-risk registered sex offenders
Summary
House Bill 1984 would add a symbol on driver’s licenses to indicate level 3 and 4 registered sex offenders so law enforcement can more quickly identify them; supporters said law enforcement already has electronic flags but the license marker would be another tool.
A committee voted to advance House Bill 1984, which would permit a designation on a driver's license to indicate level 3 and level 4 registrants on the sex-offender registry, according to the sponsor.
Senator Brianne Davis, identified for the record as representing State Senate District 25, said the mark would allow officers to more readily identify high-risk registrants; she said “several states already do this” and described level 3 and 4 registrants as assessed to have higher risk of reoffense and typically subject to community notification.
A committee member asked whether law enforcement already sees registry status when they run a tag or license in their onboard systems. A witness, Robert Combs, who identified himself in testimony as “a registered sex offender, level 3, high risk,” explained that law enforcement computers currently flag license numbers and vehicle registrations, and that officers “know that before they reach the window.” He testified that a visible marker on a license can cause public humiliation when accessing routine services such as banking.
Senator Davis closed by saying the bill would place a small mark on the license — not large, state-wide text — similar to other non-standard license indicators and intended only to allow quicker identification by law enforcement.
The committee recorded a motion to pass the bill that carried on the transcript; committee members did not amend the bill during the session recorded.
