Kentucky Senate committee advances bill to move vehicle titles online

A Senate committee in Kentucky on Tuesday advanced legislation to move motor vehicle titles into an electronic database and streamline title transactions, reporting Senate Bill 110 favorably with a committee substitute attached. The motion to report passed in committee after sponsor remarks and a roll call vote.

Sen. Howell, the bill sponsor, told the committee the measure is the "culmination of a long process that started back in 2021" to modernize county clerks' offices and extend previous electronic filing work to vehicle titles. "The titles will remain in an electronic database," Howell said, adding that consumers would pay a fee only if they request a printed paper title.

Howell and other supporters said the bill is intended to simplify common transactions. Under the bill, lenders can file lien releases online so owners would not need a new physical title when a lien is cleared, and vehicle owners could opt into electronic notifications and online payment for registrations and fees. Howell noted the draft includes language to permit limited administrative fee adjustments by the Transportation Cabinet.

The sponsor emphasized a staged implementation. "We're going to do beta testing on this," Howell said, and named Jefferson County as a likely stress‑test partner because of its high volume of titled vehicles. Senator Berg read a statement from Jefferson County Clerk David Yates endorsing the modernization benefits: "If passed, this bill will help us as we continue to modernize how Jefferson County handles titles and registrations, less paper and mail, lower costs, better integration with dealers and lenders, and long term efficiency gains after an initial transition." (statement read into the record by Sen. Berg)

Committee members asked specific questions about scope and fees. Sen. Storm asked whether the committee substitute altered last session's statute governing street‑legal special‑purpose vehicles; Howell answered that the prior statute was not repealed but those vehicle types were added into the new electronic titling system. Howell also said a printed title fee is set at $6, matching the existing printed title charge for ATVs.

After discussion, a motion to report the bill was made and seconded. The secretary called the roll; multiple members responded "Aye." The chair announced that "Senate Bill 110 is reported favorably with the expression of opinion that same shall pass with committee's substitute attached." The committee did not record any "no" or abstention votes in the accessible transcript excerpt.

What happens next: Reporting the bill favorably sends the measure forward in the legislative process with the committee substitute attached. Supporters said they will file a floor amendment to adjust language to align the measure with the Transportation Cabinet's systems before broader implementation.

Votes at a glance: Committee reported Senate Bill 110 favorably (committee substitute attached). Vote tally in the transcript shows multiple recorded "Aye" responses; the public roll call in the transcript records at least nine affirmative responses and no recorded negative votes in the provided excerpt. Specific recorded yes responses included Sen. Berg and others who answered "Aye" as called by the secretary.

This account is based on committee proceedings as recorded in the committee transcript.