February 13, 2023 |
Just like video killed the radio star, Wyoming’s new, high-tech driver’s licenses may have killed off the color photograph of the card’s bearer on front side.
Senate File 20 strikes the requirement for the photo on the front side of drivers licenses to be in color. If the bill becomes law, the color photo will be replaced with an old-school black-and-white mug shot for better clarity.
The Transportation Department is the bill’s sponsor and has the support of the Wyoming Highway Patrol. Rep. Ken Pendergraft explained the problem with color photographs on the new generation of ID cards.
Pictured above: File photo of driver’s license.
A bar code printed on the next generation of licenses will give police access to a color photograph if needed. Pendergraft, who chalks up his sometimes colorful and politically incorrect remarks on the House floor to being an “old veteran,” said that listing an individual’s hair color for identification purposes has become less meaningful over time.
Rep. Bob Davis asked how the new system will affect concealed weapons permits. Both forms of identification are printed on the same kind of material.
Responses to the question from Davis varied from “none it all” to a more nuanced explanation from Rep. Landon Brown of Cheyenne.
The bill first passed the Senate transportation committee on a unanimous 5-0 vote then went onto pass third reading on the Senate floor by a 26-5 vote. SF 20 passed the House Committee of the Whole on first reading Friday.
