New, more secure Kentucky driver’s license designs unveiled

By DYLAN LOVAN , Associated Press

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky transportation officials say newly redesigned driver’s licenses will enhance security and make it harder for counterfeiters to duplicate.
State Department of Vehicle Regulation Commissioner Matt Henderson showed off the design at a news conference Monday.
With the change, Kentucky will become one of the final states to comply with a federal travel law passed in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The state will begin issuing the new licenses in January.
The most striking difference in the new design is a grayscale photo of the subject, replacing the color photo from years past. The card will include an image of the state Capitol dome and background ink color that is harder to duplicate. Photos will be laser engraved and will more clearly display facial features “without the distraction of color,” transportation officials said in a release. The new card will also be more durable.
Henderson said those elements will make the cards more secure against fraud and counterfeiters.
Beginning in January, the state will offer two kinds of driver’s licenses: a voluntary travel ID, which will be valid for boarding a plane or entering a military base, and a standard ID which is not. People can only have one.
Some county clerks said offering different ID cards could cause some confusion when users go to get a renewal.
Jefferson County Clerk David Nicholson, who attended a news conference at the Louisville International Airport Monday, said he had preferred the state issue a single ID.
“Some citizens are under the impression they need one document to drive and one to fly,” he said. “They just need one, A or B.”
The voluntary travel ID will have a black star on it to signify that it complies with the federal rules.
Beginning Oct. 1, 2020, only people with the voluntary travel IDs will be allowed to board domestic flights or enter U.S. military bases. People with standard IDs after that date will have to show another form of identification, such as a passport.
The new standard ID will cost $43 and the travel ID will cost $48, an increase from the current $20 price for a license. Both new forms expire after eight years.

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