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House backs pilot to let residents carry electronic driver's licenses on phones
Summary
S.B. 110 authorizes a pilot for electronic driver's licenses and electronic identification cards; sponsors said plastic licenses would still be issued (TSA/Real ID concerns) and the pilot would let customers opt into e-IDs on phones; the bill passed 66'to'0.
Representative All presented S.B. 110, a bill to require the Driver License Division to develop a pilot program for issuing electronic driver's licenses and electronic identification cards. The presenter said the measure is a first step and that plastic (physical) licenses would continue to be issued — particularly because agencies such as TSA will not accept electronic credentials for travel under Real ID requirements.
Floor members asked practical questions about when a physical license is required, whether officers will accept a phone-based credential during a traffic stop, and whether the bill treats driver licenses and state identification cards equivalently. Sponsor All and other presenters said the pilot would not change legal obligations to have a license when required, but it would allow customers to opt in to a phone-based credential and to keep a plastic card for circumstances that require it.
Representative Chu asked a practical question about accessing a phone in frontier circumstances (e.g., working on ranches); sponsors reiterated the pilot aspect and the continued availability of plastic licenses. Representative Hall closed summation, praising the bill as a positive, technology-forward pilot. The House voted to pass S.B. 110 with a recorded tally of 66 yeas and 0 nays; it will return to the Senate for further consideration.
