By Emma Murphy, Oklahoma Voice
OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahomans could add their driver’s license to their phone’s digital wallet under a bill passed by the House Wednesday.
House Bill 3015 would allow Service Oklahoma to partner with businesses to issue mobile or digital versions of state identification cards, driver’s licenses or permits. The bill limits how any companies that partner with the state can use the private data of Oklahomans.
The mobile credential is not intended to replace physical licenses or state IDs, a spokesperson for Service Oklahoma said. Oklahomans would be required to maintain their physical credentials with the mobile version as a “companion option.”
Rep. Dell Kerbs, R-Shawnee, who authored the bill, said he’s had input from companies like Google and Apple that offer digital wallets on the measure. The companies have been involved in other states to add licenses and other forms of identification to digital wallets on personal devices like phones and smartwatches.
Kerbs said this would bring Oklahoma in line with other states that have adopted digital IDs as well as the federal government which has allowed for passports to be added to digital wallets.
“It has better security than just a normal credential you carry in your pocket,” Kerbs said. “So it’s a great option to be able to use as we transfer into the digital world.”
The Transportation Security Administration lists over a dozen states that offer some form of digital ID that are accepted by at least 250 checkpoints. Some states are partnered with Apple, Google or Samsung while others have their own mobile ID app.
The digital version must be based on a Real ID-compliant driver’s license or identification card. Passports can also be added to digital wallets for domestic travel.
The federal agency recommends that travelers still carry a physical ID.
Kerbs’ bill would allow the digital ID to be treated as a “valid form of identification in all places that a physical driver license is accepted.”
Kerbs said law enforcement and businesses can decide whether or not to accept digital IDs, so no one is forced to acquire the technology needed to read one.
Oklahoma previously adopted digital forms of identification in 2019, but the app, OK Mobile ID, was discontinued in 2024. Service Oklahoma in a news release cited a lack of users for the reason.
But, the U.S. Department of Justice in November 2023 found that the app violated the Americans with Disabilities Act because it was inaccessible to people with vision impairments.
The findings came after a blind Oklahoma resident filed a complaint that the application could not be used without assistance. The application required users to scan or take photos of their ID cards and take pictures of themselves by connecting dots using head or eye movements, which failed to provide equal access, the DOJ wrote.
Kerb’s bill passed by the House creates the legal and operational structure for the state to offer digital IDs as a voluntary option for Oklahomans, said Corey Robertson, a spokesperson for Service Oklahoma, in a statement.
“At that time, there was not a clear statutory framework to support widespread adoption or acceptance,” Robertson said. “HB3015 establishes that framework — expanding potential use cases, providing clarity for acceptance, and aligning the state with how other jurisdictions are successfully deploying mobile credentials today.”
The original attempt was implemented before Service Oklahoma was responsible for driver license services, he said.
Robertson said in a statement that the agency has been involved in the development of House Bill 3015 and this is a “more mature, standardized approach” that’s modeled after what’s already been implemented in other states.
The House sent the measure to the Senate with a 73-22 vote on Wednesday.
