Kentucky is one of only a handful of states that hasn't implemented such vision standards for drivers licenses. Sen. Jimmy Higdon made a note of that at the beginning of testimony before Kentucky committee this week.
"Our standards in Kentucky... we could pretty much stood alone for our vision standards," he said.
The soon-to-be mandated eye exam for driver's licenses has drawn some criticism as the start date approaches in January, with GOP representative Savannah Mannix calling it "nanny state hogwash" and "another lobbyist-driven bill that will cost Kentuckians time and money."
🚨Starting January 1, 2025, all Kentuckians must undergo a vision screening to renew their driver’s license.
— Savannah Maddox (@SavannahLMaddox) November 20, 2024
I want to be clear that I was one of five legislators who voted NO on this nanny state hogwash.
Adding another layer of bureaucracy to the already complicated Real…
But the issue has generated other debates and proposed changes. One deals with who should be authorized to request a medical review of someone's fitness to drive. In the past, the answer has been: anyone in government, any medical professional or law enforcement official.
Higgins said revisions to rules and regulations would change that, scrapping the ability of any government official to make the request, but adding a route for concerned family members.
"If two citizens, if two family members, have a family member that doesn't need to be driving, they together can sign a sworn affidavit about the family member's condition and send that to Medical Review Board or any medical professional or law enforcement professional. (They) would be the only ones that can report a person to the Medical Review Board," the senator explained.
While the vision test requirement is set to take effect January 1, 2025, it remains to be seen if critics will push for any changes in the upcoming session.