Plans Shift On Drivers License Renewals

Revenue Secretary Nick Jordan says Kansas isn’t planning to require people renewing their driver’s licenses to produce proof they’re in the U.S. legally.

Jordan said in an interview Monday his agency will instead develop an initiative in which people can voluntarily present a birth certificate, passport or other document when renewing a license.

Kansas requires people getting a new driver’s license to provide such proof. State officials had talked about making the rule universal under a 2005 federal law designed to make states’ driver’s licenses more secure.

Kansas also requires new voters to provide proof of their U.S. citizenship when registering. Many lawmakers assumed the election law wouldn’t be as onerous if a proof-of-citizenship policy were in place for all driver’s license renewals.