Senate Transportation Committee Green Lights First Bills for 2026

Senate Transportation Committee Green Lights First Bills for 2026

The Senate Standing Committee on Transportation held its first meeting of the 2026 Regular Session and voted to report Senate Bills 7 and 28 favorably. Both measures will now move forward in the Senate legislative process for further consideration.

Senate Bill 7
Primary sponsor: Senator Aaron Reed (R-Shelbyville)
SB 7 creates the local option for a circuit clerk, county clerk, county sheriff, or county judge/executive to issue renewal and duplicate operator’s licenses and personal identification cards in counties that contain no state regional licensing office. In counties where no local official chooses to participate, the county judge/executive can enter an interlocal agreement with another county to do so. The service will be “self-funded” by the imposition of a $25 convenience fee, to be retained locally. Sen. Reed testified about the bill being intended as a solution to address public frustration with long drives, lines, and delays currently associated with license renewal, especially for families living in rural areas with no licensing office nearby.

Senate Bill 28
Primary sponsor: Committee Chair Jimmy Higdon (R-Lebanon)
SB 28 restricts the handheld use of a “mobile electronic device,” such as a cell phone, while driving. The bill makes exceptions for various types of two-way radio (such as CV radio used by truckers) and clarifies that it does not apply to handheld use by vehicle operators who are lawfully stopped or using voice-to-text dictation handsfree. Penalty for violation is a $100 fine and police officers can only cite a driver if they have physically observed the violation. As written, the bill distributes funds from this fine between a Traumatic Brain Trust Fund, Veterans Program Trust Fund, and the Kentucky Trauma Care System. The bill also mandates that the Transportation Cabinet post signs informing the public of the law. In response to questions about the usage of “speaker phone,” Chair Higdon testified that drivers could still use speaker phone so long as the phone is mounted or laying down unsupported by the driver. Chair Higdon testified about the bill being intended to address concerns with distracted driving, noting that research reflects that the level of distraction is equivalent to alcohol impairment.