Senate Approves Bill to Require Sex Offender Info on Driver License

The full Senate has given its approval to a bill that would identify registered sex offenders on their state driver license. Sen. Brian Crain is the author of Senate Bill 35, which would give convicted sex offenders 180 days after being notified by the Department of Corrections to get a new license reflecting their status as a sex offender.

“If they fail to get a new license, then they run the risk of losing their license altogether for an entire year,” said Crain, R-Tulsa. “As a father and as a former prosecutor, I think we need to use every resource available to protect children from molesters and rapists.”

Crain said the legislation would be especially helpful to vendors or delivery services that may do business with schools or nursing homes. Having sex offender registration information on an offender’s driver license can help such businesses identify drivers who should not make deliveries to those locations.

“These drivers aren’t direct employees of the school or daycare they might be making deliveries to, so they don’t fall under any of the requirements for background checks,” Crain said. “This legislation will give the public greater protection by helping businesses identify workers who shouldn’t be around children or other vulnerable individuals.”

In addition to the penalty of a one year cancellation of a driver license for those who fail to update the document to reflect sex offender status, violation would also be a misdemeanor with a fine of up to $200.00.

“The sex offender registry is already the law and is available to the public. This is another way to use that information to protect our most vulnerable citizens,” Crain said.

The bill now moves to a House committee for further consideration.