North Carolina 2025-2026 Regular Session

North Carolina Senate Bill S10 Latest Draft

Bill / Amended Version Filed 01/30/2025

                            GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA 
SESSION 2025 
S 	1 
SENATE BILL 10 
 
 
Short Title: Mobile Drivers Licenses. 	(Public) 
Sponsors: Senators Hanig and Moffitt (Primary Sponsors). 
Referred to: Rules and Operations of the Senate 
January 30, 2025 
*S10-v-1* 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1 
AN ACT REQUIRING THE DIVISION OF MOTOR VEHICLES TO PROVIDE MOBILE 2 
DRIVERS LICENSES UPON REQUEST, EXTENDING RECIPROCITY TO MOBILE 3 
DRIVERS LICENSES ISS UED BY OTHER STATES, REQUIRING LAW 4 
ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS TO UNDERGO TRAINING TO ENSURE APPROPRIATE 5 
INTERACTIONS WITH MOBILE DRIVERS LICENSE HOLDERS, AND CLARIFYING 6 
THAT A MOBILE DRIVERS LICENSE SATISFIES THE IN-PERSON VOTING PHOTO 7 
IDENTIFICATION REQUIREMENT. 8 
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 9 
SECTION 1. G.S. 20-7(m1) reads as rewritten: 10 
"(m1) Mobile Drivers License. – Upon request of an applicant for whom a valid license 11 
exists or is issued, the Commissioner may shall issue a mobile drivers license as a supplement to 12 
the valid license. A Unless otherwise provided by law, a mobile drivers license is the legal 13 
equivalent of a valid license.license, for any purpose, including identification." 14 
SECTION 2. Article 1A of Chapter 20 of the General Statutes is amended by adding 15 
a new section to read: 16 
"§ 20-4.13.  Mobile drivers licenses. 17 
The Commissioner shall extend reciprocity to a mobile drivers license issued by another state 18 
if the license was issued subject to requirements substantially similar to the requirements for 19 
mobile drivers license issuance in this State." 20 
SECTION 3. G.S. 17C-6 reads as rewritten: 21 
"§ 17C-6.  Powers of Commission. 22 
(a) In addition to powers conferred upon the Commission elsewhere in this Article, the 23 
Commission shall have the following powers, which shall be enforceable through its rules and 24 
regulations, certification procedures, or the provisions of G.S. 17C-10: 25 
… 26 
(14) Establish minimum standards for in-service training for criminal justice 27 
officers. In-service training standards for sworn law enforcement officers shall 28 
include all of the following training topics: 29 
… 30 
j. Training to ensure appropriate interactions with mobile drivers license 31 
holders. 32 
…." 33 
SECTION 4. G.S. 17E-4 reads as rewritten: 34 
"§ 17E-4.  Powers and duties of the Commission. 35  General Assembly Of North Carolina 	Session 2025 
Page 2  	Senate Bill 10-First Edition 
(a) The Commission shall have the following powers, duties, and responsibilities, which 1 
are enforceable through its rules and regulations, certification procedures, or the provisions of 2 
G.S. 17E-8 and G.S. 17E-9: 3 
… 4 
(11) Establish minimum standards for in-service training for justice officers. 5 
In-service training standards for sworn law enforcement officers shall include 6 
all of the following training topics: 7 
… 8 
j. Training to ensure appropriate interactions with mobile drivers license 9 
holders. 10 
…." 11 
SECTION 5. G.S. 163-166.16 reads as rewritten: 12 
"§ 163-166.16.  Requirement for photo identification to vote in person. 13 
(a) Photo Identification Required to Vote. – When a registered voter presents to vote in 14 
person, the registered voter shall produce any of the following forms of identification that contain 15 
a photograph of the registered voter: 16 
(1) Any of the following that is valid and unexpired, or has been expired for one 17 
year or less: 18 
a. A North Carolina drivers license.license, including a mobile drivers 19 
license as defined in G.S. 20-4.01. 20 
…." 21 
SECTION 6. The Division of Motor Vehicles of the Department of Transportation 22 
may contract with a qualified vendor or vendors to develop and implement the mobile drivers 23 
license system mandated by G.S. 20-7(m1), as modified by this act. The Division shall adopt 24 
rules implementing the requirements of this section. No later than October 1, 2025, the Division 25 
shall do all of the following: 26 
(1) Develop and implement a public awareness program to inform the general 27 
public about the availability, functionality, and security of mobile drivers 28 
licenses. 29 
(2) In conjunction with the North Carolina School of Government and the 30 
Department of Public Safety, develop and implement a training program 31 
designed to ensure law enforcement officers are appropriately equipped for 32 
interactions with mobile drivers license holders. At minimum, the training 33 
shall address the protections afforded by the United States and North Carolina 34 
Constitutions and how those protections relate to mobile drivers licenses. This 35 
training shall be made available to both State and local government law 36 
enforcement officers no later than January 1, 2026. 37 
(3) Notify the State Board of Elections, the Department of Public Safety, and the 38 
Secretary of State of the pendency of mobile drivers licenses. 39 
(4) Consult with the federal Transportation Security Administration throughout 40 
the development and implementation of the mobile drivers license system to 41 
ensure mobile drivers licenses comply with all federal laws and regulations. 42 
SECTION 7. Sections 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 of this act become effective July 1, 2026. The 43 
remainder of this act is effective when it becomes law. 44