Not even the NC Senate budget debate is safe from gripes about the DMV
Good morning and welcome to Under the Dome. I'm Emmy Martin.
If you call yourself a North Carolinian, chances are you've braced yourself for a DMV visit. Long lines, seemingly endless waits — it's a frustrating rite of passage that few escape and no one enjoys.
State lawmakers have previously described the Division of Motor Vehicles as 'broken,' while the DMV itself blames staffing issues for the wait, according to Richard Stradling's reporting.
The DMV came up on Wednesday during the Senate debate on the Republican-authored $66 billion two-year budget. And it was even mentioned in the text of the budget itself, but we'll get to that later.
[For a breakdown of the Senate budget, Luciana Perez Uribe Guinassi and Avi Bajpai have more.]
Democratic Sen. Lisa Grafstein proposed an amendment to the budget to increase funding to North Carolina's DMV.
Her proposal would pull $6 million from the state auditor's budget and move it to the DMV to hire approximately 40 to 50 more driver's license examiners.
She said that the Senate is making job cuts in the budget, 'yet we are functionally doubling the budget of the state auditor's office.'
'My understanding is that we have the same number of motor vehicle examiners that we've had for 15 or 20 years,' Grafstein said during debate. 'And in a growing state, that's simply not acceptable.'
The Senate budget itself would create a new Board of Motor Vehicles with nine members, including the secretary of transportation, the secretary of the Department of Information Technology and the commander of the State Highway Patrol.
This board would appoint the DMV commissioner rather than the Secretary of Transportation. It will also oversee the commissioner's administration of the DMV.
This comes after DMV Commissioner Wayne Goodwin announced in February he would step down. State lawmakers criticized Goodwin for his 'failure' to lead the agency in a committee hearing, Kyle Ingram and Dawn Baumgartner Vaughan reported.
'It's clear that the state is growing rapidly,' Democratic Rep. Eric Ager said during the February hearing. 'We need more people to do the same job for a growing number of people … you certainly can't squeeze blood out of a turnip.'
Republican State Auditor Dave Boliek launched a probe of the DMV earlier this year, looking to improve the DMV's efficiency.
'I'm a little concerned about just dumping more money over there,' Republican Senate leader Phil Berger told reporters, referring to the DMV.
'We don't have a leader over there now,' he continued. 'The leader that was there was roundly criticized. It's a department that's been problematic for a long period of time. I think if we've got the right leadership there, and there's a specific plan as to where to deploy dollars, I'm sure that we're interested in looking at that.'
On Wednesday, Grafstein proposed another DMV-related amendment to allow drivers to renew their driver's license online multiple times, but ultimately withdrew her motion to have further conversation about including the proposal in a bill.
'We all know that the lines are too long. We get the calls from our constituents,' she said.
Sponsors of House Bill 69 and House Bill 373, titled the 'Military and Veterans Educational Promise Act' and 'UNC Tuition Discounts for Certain Students,' respectively, held a press conference Thursday morning in the General Assembly to discuss expanding education opportunities for veterans within the UNC System.
Both bills passed the House this week and proceeded to the Senate.
HB 69 would require the UNC System to hold the admission spots of students who are accepted but decide to join the military. Enrollment would be deferred for five years for those who join the active-duty military and two years for those who join the reserves of the National Guard.
'This prevents these men and women from going to the back of the line when they complete their military obligations,' Republican Rep. Grant Campbell said at the press conference.
The bill also would provide in-state tuition for veterans who graduated from high school in North Carolina, were stationed in North Carolina for at least 90 days, or received the Purple Heart.
HB 373 would allow the UNC System to provide discounted tuition to students who receive military tuition assistance or an employer-sponsored financial support program.
Campbell said that the bill was filed at the request of the university system, adding that more than '90% of students eligible for these programs seek their education outside of the state.'
'This will open up potential tuition revenues for the UNC System for over $20 million that they are currently missing out on, and also recognizes that one of the greatest resources for our workforce needs are those same students,' he said at the press conference.
Campbell was joined by Republican Reps. Ray Pickett, Allen Chesser, David Willis, Kelly Hastings, and Democratic Rep. Dante Pittman at the conference, all of whom sponsored either one or both of the bills.
Speaking of the DMV, Brooke Cain stood in the long lines to get her REAL ID this week. She has all the information you need to know to get your NC driver's license renewed or a REAL ID if you don't have an appointment. Read the story here.
A new bill would give North Carolina residents an extra two years to renew their driver's licenses, Richard Stradling reports. The House Transportation Committee approved House Bill 821 on Wednesday. The two-year period would expire at the end of 2027 and would only apply to Class C driver's licenses.
Four Democrats supported Senate Republicans' $66 billion two-year spending plan after more than five hours of debate on Wednesday. Those Democratic senators are Paul Lowe, Gladys Robinson, Joyce Waddell and Dan Blue. Avi Bajpai has more on their hope of influencing that budget.
Today's newsletter was by Emmy Martin. Check your inbox Sunday for more #ncpol.
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