Committee advances bill on driver’s license renewals January 14, 2026 Sen. Aaron Reed, R-Shelbyville, speaks on Senate Bill 7 during Wednesday’s meeting of the Senate Transportation Committee. A high-res version can be found here. FRANKFORT — Legislation that would make it easier fo r some Kentuckians to renew or obtain a duplicate of their driver’s licenses was unanimously advanced Wednesday by the Senate Transportation Committee. Sen. Aaron Reed, R-Shelbyville, testified that long drives, long lines and repeated delays have caused frustration among many Kentuckians. Some residents have regional driver’s licenses near their homes or workplaces, while others do not. Under Senate Bill 7, participating county offices could only renew or duplicate a license. The bill doesn’t allow first-time licensing or testing at those offices. Participation is voluntary, and no county is required to participate, Reed said. “Unless you have a regional office in your backyard, every one of us has heard the same message from constituents that the current driver’s license system is not meeting the needs of Kentucky,” he said. Reed said offering local services is a tool governments can use to better serve citizens. “Senate Bill 7 provides a practical, conservative solution by giving counties the option to bring driver’s license renewals back home. It’s not a mandate. I need to stress that. It is an option,” he said. Reed said the legislation includes a $25 convenience fee that will be retained locally so counties can “break even and avoid an unfunded mandate.” Multiple constitutional offices – such as those of county clerks, circuit clerks, sheriffs, and county judge executives – would be eligible to offer the services. This would provide more possibilities for counties, and interlocal agreements would allow sharing of personnel, equipment or space. “This bill strengthens rural access, reduces travel burdens on families, improves customer service statewide and restores accountability to local officials who already serve their communities with excellence,” Reed said. Sen. Greg Elkins, R-Winchester, thanked Reed for his work on the legislation. He asked Reed about possible fraud that could occur at the new offices. “Do you think restoring this back to the county level will help with that fraud issue, and did you have any thoughts on that as you put this together?” he asked. Reed said the legislation wouldn’t directly affect fraud, but it could have positive outcomes because the burden would be on the locally elected officials. Sen. Brandon Smith, R-Hazard, also commended Reed, and said Chairman Sen. Jimmy Higdon, R-Lebanon, reached out to him and most likely others to seek a solution to improve the situation. “One thing was consistent; that people wanted something done. This has really put a lot of strain on some areas. If you have one in your area, it’s not bad, but if you’re in a rural area and you have any kind of health issues, whatever, it becomes a boondoggle if you will,” Smith said. Sen. Donald Douglas, R-Nicholasville, said aging Kentuckians are going to be happy to have an option when renewing or duplicating their licenses. Sen. Gex Williams, R-Verona, described the legislation as bipartisan. “I just want you to know you did an outstanding job getting I think 28 senators as cosponsors including the minority floor leader,” he told Reed. “So, this is truly a bipartisan bill. I think maybe some others will jump on it before it’s all over.” SB 7 now heads to the full Senate. The post Committee advances bill on driver’s license renewals appeared first on The Lexington Times. ...read more read less