Members of the Arkansas Legislative Council approved two controversial rule changes in a meeting Friday: the first had to do with elections, while the second had to do with gender-neutral driver's licenses.

Driver's licenses

The Department of Finance and Administration recently implemented a rule requiring the letter “M” or “F” to be listed under “sex” on all driver’s licenses or state-issued IDs. Right now, a few hundred Arkansans have “X” listed instead of "M" or "F".

Democratic lawmakers protested the rule change, saying it was harmful to transgender and nonbinary Arkansans. Rep. Andrew Collins, D- Little Rock, said the rule change goes beyond the purview of what the Department of Finance and Administration is allowed to do.

Legislative committee approves rules on electronic signatures, gender-neutral IDs