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House approves expansion of remote driver‑license services and adopts funding amendment
Summary
The House adopted an amendment to Senate Bill 245 adding funds for e‑courts, cybersecurity, the SBI and highway patrol positions, then passed the bill to expand remote driver‑license services. Sponsors said the changes could prevent hundreds of thousands of DMV visits by enabling new remote renewals and resetting Real ID expirations.
The House voted to adopt an amendment to Senate Bill 245 that added several appropriations and then passed the bill to expand remote driver‑license services.
Representative Lambeth moved the amendment, which added $5,000,000 (nonrecurring) for e‑courts, $15,000,000 for cybersecurity, $1,400,000 for the State Bureau of Investigation and $3,000,000 for highway patrol positions. The amendment was adopted by a recorded vote of 109-6.
On the bill, Representative Pirtle described three principal reforms: when a person receives their Real ID (photo taken) the system would create a new expiration date and the card would be good for eight years; consecutive remote renewals would be permitted for certain non‑Real IDs; and the bill would remove a 12‑hour log requirement that affected progression from one provisional license level to another. Pirtle and supporters said those provisions could prevent hundreds of thousands of in‑person DMV visits and ease backlog problems.
Representative Hawkins and others supported the measure as practical modernization that maintains safety for provisional license holders. Some members sought technical clarifications about effective dates and administrative implementation; sponsors indicated staff work and technical fixes were still being completed.
The House read the bill a third time and ordered it returned to the Senate.
