Kentucky2026Active
HB127
Rules for Issuing ID Cards and Driver's Licenses to Released Offenders
Last scannedAug 24, 2026, 10:26 AM
In one sentence
This law requires the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet to issue personal identification cards or driver's licenses to eligible felony offenders who are released from prison, on parole, under probation supervision, or participating in work release programs.
What it does
- Requires the Transportation Cabinet to give ID cards or operator's licenses to eligible felony offenders leaving state prisons, county jails, or federal facilities located in Kentucky.
- Allows current inmates deemed eligible by prison officials to get temporary driver's licenses for work release activities and reentry initiatives through new administrative rules.
- Lists specific documents an offender must provide, such as a birth certificate, photograph, sentencing order (for probationers), parole certificates or discharge notices, and a signed release letter from supervision officers.
- Sets a 30-day deadline for offenders to submit their application after receiving their official release letter.
- Directs the Transportation Cabinet to create rules about how current inmates can apply for licenses while still in prison.
Who it affects
- Felony offenders released from the Kentucky Department of Corrections, county jails, or Federal Bureau of Prisons facilities located in Kentucky on home incarceration, parole, completed service of sentence, shock probation, or pardon.
- Offenders who are probated or conditionally discharged by a court and under supervision by the Division of Probation and Parole or the United States Probation Office.
- Current inmates deemed eligible by prison officials to participate in work release activities outside the facility.
- The Transportation Cabinet, which must issue these documents and create new administrative rules.
Limits and unknowns
- The law only applies to offenders who meet specific eligibility requirements set by officials.
- Offenders must pay standard fees for ID cards and licenses as required by other state laws (KRS 186.531).
- Inmates receiving temporary work release licenses must surrender them when they are not working outside the facility.
Plain language
Terms to know
- Operator's license
- A driver's license issued by the state.
- Work release activities
- Programs that allow eligible inmates to leave prison temporarily for employment or reentry initiatives, requiring them to surrender their license when not working outside the facility.
Official record
Sources
Official summary
AN ACT relating to offender reentry.