Permits for 15-year-old drivers one step closer to reality in Kentucky after House vote
A bill that would lower the age Kentucky teens can get their instructional permits from 16 to 15 blew past the Kentucky House of Representatives on Thursday when it gained overwhelming passage out of that body.
House Bill 15 sponsored by GOP Floor Leader Steven Rudy, R-Paducah, passed the Republican-dominated chamber 86-13. Democrats were split on the bill, and most all Republicans voted for it.
Rudy explained that the bill would align Kentucky with a majority of U.S. states, particularly its neighbors in the South and Midwest. He made a point to note that Kentucky allows 15-year-old drivers from other states on its roads but doesn’t allow Kentuckians of the same age.
“Fifteen-year-old permitted drivers drive in this Commonwealth every single day, but they face discrimination,” Rudy said. “If you are a Kentucky resident, you are not eligible as a 15-year-old, but we recognize other states’ permits. Fifteen-year-olds from Tennessee drive in Kentucky every day; fifteen-year-olds from Ohio, Indiana and even the ‘People’s Republic of Illinois’ drive in this commonwealth every single day.”
Beyond moving the eligible age to get an instructional permit, the bill would also drop the age Kentucky teens can get their full licenses from 17 to 16-and-a-half.
Permit holders must be accompanied by a licensed driver 21 years or older in the passenger’s seat.
The bill would allow young drivers to get their restricted license, where they’re allowed to hit the road alone with some time and passenger restrictions, at 16.
House Appropriations & Revenue Committee Chairman Jason Petrie, R-Elkton, took a moment to criticize an act of the governor that has been applied to the bill: a fiscal note.
The Legislative Research Commission, the administrative arm of the legislature, produces its own fiscal notes for legislation, which generally estimate the cost of certain bills. However, this year Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear unveiled a website where the executive branch would furnish its own fiscal notes on proposed legislation.
Beshear’s office estimated the bill would cost about $100,000 to reprogram the state’s driver licensing system.
Petrie claimed that the Beshear-produced fiscal notes “have no vetting, validity or degree of confidence.”
“You’re receiving unvalidated, unconfirmed and basically a reality TV version of what it’s actually doing,” Petrie said.
Rep. Anne Gay Donworth, D-Lexington, voiced support for the bill from across the aisle. She said she has a 15-year-old who is “very, very excited about this bill.” Downworth said that she’s been teaching them how to drive on her family farm since her child was 12 years old.
Donworth explained her “yes” vote by saying the bill would make Kentucky’s roads safer.
“I recognize that children need more time to practice driving safely so that when they do get their full driver’s license they can drive safely by themselves.”
The bill now goes to the Kentucky Senate. It would need approval from that chamber as well as the governor to pass into law.
If Beshear vetoes the bill, the Republican caucuses have regularly overriden his vetoes.
