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Panel Hears Bill Allowing Out‑of‑State Licenses for Driving Instructors
Summary
House Bill 2,031 would permit driving‑school and motorcycle‑instructor applicants to hold a driver's license issued by another state, subject to existing instructor‑qualification requirements; committee took proponent testimony from driving‑school representatives and a Johnson County Community College representative.
House Bill 2,031, which would allow driving‑school instructors and motorcycle driving‑school instructors to hold valid out‑of‑state driver’s licenses to qualify as instructors in Kansas, received proponent testimony before the Transportation Committee.
Committee staff explained the bill’s principal change: currently an instructor applicant must hold a Kansas driver’s license; HB 2,031 would permit applicants to hold a driver’s license from another state, provided they meet the remaining statutory and regulatory instructor requirements. For motorcycle instructors specifically, the bill requires a Class M motorcycle license in Kansas or an equivalent out‑of‑state motorcycle endorsement in addition to other instructor qualifications.
Zach Denny, testifying for driving‑school interests, said the amendment submitted in the House expanded the bill from motorcycle instructors only to include standard driver instructors because of statewide shortages of qualified instructors. He noted that the Kansas Department of Revenue oversees driving‑school licensing and that other instructor prerequisites and training requirements would remain unchanged.
A representative identified as Carter testified for Johnson County Community College, saying the college faces difficulty finding qualified instructors on its border with Missouri and that the bill would help address local staffing challenges; Carter said they had submitted written testimony and could not speak to all community colleges across the state.
Committee members asked clarifying questions about which instructor programs the bill affects. Committee staff and witnesses confirmed the bill applies to two categories: standard driver instructors and motorcycle instructors; motorcycle instructors must hold the equivalent motorcycle endorsement in the issuing state to qualify. There was no committee vote recorded in the transcript; the hearing closed after proponents’ testimony.
No opponents or neutral witnesses appeared in the hearing record for HB 2,031.
