Republican lawmakers push to change current Kentucky driver licensing system, shift back to circuit court clerks, possibly county clerks

"I don't want to say we have a solution," Stivers said, "but it is a topic of discussion that I think by the time we get to the session, we will have either a total revamp or a lot of suggested changes."

Frustrations over long wait times at Kentucky's regional driver licensing offices have prompted Republican legislators to explore possible changes. Long waits and long drives to Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) driver licensing regional offices have frustrated Kentuckians. Republican lawmakers are now weighing changes to who oversees the system.
Kentucky Senate President Robert Stivers, a Republican representing McKee, publicly addressed the issue on Thursday.
"I don't want to say we have a solution," Stivers said, "but it is a topic of discussion that I think by the time we get to the session, we will have either a total revamp or a lot of suggested changes."

A Return to Circuit Court Clerks — Or a New Role for County Clerks?

State Rep. Savannah Maddox, a Republican from Dry Ridge, has plans to draft legislation that would return driver licensing responsibilities to circuit court clerks. That’s how the system operated for decades before the state shifted to centralized regional offices under KYTC.
Some GOP senators, however, are floating a different idea of letting county clerks handle the task instead.

KYTC Data Shows Improvements

In response to criticism, KYTC released updated wait time data and provided a statement that said, "We remain committed to modernizing our regional offices and enhancing services to ensure Kentuckians have an efficient and reliable experience. Wait times have dropped significantly thanks to efforts such as hiring 125 additional staff this summer, introducing a new line management and text check-in system, and encouraging renewals by mail or online to leave more in-person availability for those who need it. We also recently opened a fifth location in Louisville and continue to offer Saturday hours once a month."

According to KYTC's data, average wait times for all services decreased from 49 minutes in April to 25 minutes in August. For customers with appointments the average wait time dropped from 25 minutes in April to 15 minutes last month.