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House approves bill allowing electronic presentation of driver's licenses for law-enforcement verification
Summary
The Georgia House passed House Bill 296 to allow people to present a state-issued driver's license in an approved electronic format for law‑enforcement verification; the chamber adopted a committee substitute and recorded a 54–17 vote.
The Georgia House on the morning floor approved House Bill 296 to allow presentation of a state-issued driver's license in an approved electronic format for verification by law enforcement.
Supporters said the measure formalizes technology already in use and gives law enforcement two years to obtain equipment to verify digital licenses. Vice Chair Gaines, presenting the bill, said more than 420,000 Georgians already use a digital driver's license and compared the verification to current tap-to-pay and Apple/Android wallet interactions.
The bill’s sponsor and the committee substitute said the measure will not require drivers to hand over phones to officers; instead verification will use a tap-or-scan method that shows only the information necessary to verify identity. Representative Cannon asked whether the bill affects voting or other uses that still require a physical card; Gaines replied that current law and agency readiness determine those uses and that voting precincts and other agencies are not yet equipped to verify digital IDs. Chairman Corbett asked whether the bill includes privacy safeguards; Gaines replied that the bill restricts what officers can access during verification.
After questions from representatives, the House adopted a committee substitute and voted on final passage. The clerk announced the tally as 54 yeas and 17 nays; the chamber declared the bill passed.
The measure was referred to the committee on motor vehicles and was described in the floor caption as an amendment to Article 2, Chapter 5 of Title 40 of the Official Code of Georgia.
The House record shows the committee substitute was adopted on the floor before the roll call. The bill text sets a two‑year timeline for law‑enforcement readiness to verify electronic licenses and explicitly preserves existing requirements where other agencies (for example, election precincts) are not prepared to accept digital presentation.
No effective date was announced on the floor during the presentation.
