Latest news with #Shwedo
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Real ID deadline looms and only 62 percent of South Carolinians have it
North Augusta, S.C. (WJBF)- May 7th. That's the deadline for everyone in the United States to have a Real ID. After that, you will not be able to fly domestically, or enter a federal building or a military installation until you get one. You know you have a Real ID if you have a gold or black star on your driver's license or state ID. The federal government decided to streamline identification nearly 24 years ago. 'We had an obvious problem with 911. And the biggest problem was, is we had individuals that stole identity, stole airplanes and killed a lot of Americans,' explained Kevin Shwedo, Executive Director of the South Carolina DMV. Real IDs are just another layer of protection and proof that you are who you say you are. There are still things you can do without one…like voting. 'If you've got a driver's license and it's not a Real ID driver's license, you will still be allowed to drive. If you have an ID card, you will still be able to do most of the things you can do with an ID card, except go through a TSA checkpoint, get on a military installation, and get in to a secure federal building,' said Shwedo. If you live in Georgia, you probably already have your Real ID. In 2020 the government gave Georgian's one year to get it done. 'Across the state of Georgia, we're close to close to 99%. I would say 98 just to, you know, give a push back there. But it's just required something we're doing with homeland, that's just making sure people are who they say they are,' said Representative Brian Prince. Only 62% of South Carolina have gotten their Real ID and the clock is South Carolina, you may have to stand in a longer line to get one- but you should be able to get it on the same day. 'We are not like some of our sister states that are having significant issues. There are some states, to where you will now wait three months to get an appointment to get in. I'm not even asking you to make an appointment,' Shwedo said. Most of the people we spoke with say they understand the reasoning behind the real ID. Many are trying to get their Real ID before the deadline, especially since it has changed in the past. 'Need to come on and do it now. Don't procrastinate any longer. We need to get all this done and accomplished and so come on out before the lines get too long,' encouraged Chuck Faulkner, a South Carolina resident. A Real ID in South Carolina is $25. To get a Real ID you have go in person to a DMV and provide your social security number and bring the following documents: Proof of Identity (Government-issued birth certificate or valid US Passport) Social Security Number (SSN) – Electronically Verified by SCDMV Two Proofs of Current, Physical SC Address Proof of All Legal Name Changes, if applicable If you need to fly after May 7, and won't have a Real ID by then, the TSA will accept a few other forms of identification, including a passport. You can find the full list on TSA's website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Yahoo
Leaders of SC courts, DMV warn what could happen if ‘ancient' technology isn't upgraded
South Carolina's courts and DMV are running on software systems that are three decades old and in need of massive upgrades. (Stock photo by) COLUMBIA — South Carolina's courts and drivers' licensing agency are running on software systems that are roughly three decades old and in need of massive upgrades. Together, the updates will cost about $200 million — of which, at least $45 million is requested in the coming budget. Without an overhaul, agency heads say, the central database that courts rely on could go dark, law enforcement officers on patrol won't have a clue who they're pulling over, wait times at motor vehicle offices could skyrocket from minutes to months, and the risk of identity theft will keep rising. 'We have the keys to the kingdom with regards to personally identifiable information,' Kevin Shwedo, director of the state's Department of Motor Vehicles, recently told a House budget-writing panel. 'People try to hack in every day.' Beyond addresses and phone numbers, the personal data the DMV has on millions of South Carolinians includes Social Security numbers, birth certificates, passport numbers, marriage licenses, and divorce papers. All of that's stored on a system developed at the turn of the century and modified more than 11,000 times since to keep up with an ever-increasing workload, Shwedo said. The threat of getting hacked is real, he said, reminding legislators of the 2014 hacking of taxpayers' data from the state Department of Revenue. At the time, it was the largest hacking of a state agency. Protecting the DMV's treasure trove from cyberthieves gets more difficult 'with an antiquated system,' Shwedo said. 'Everything we do is with a computer — everything,' he told legislators. 'If a computer shuts down, you get zero service from the DMV.' He added, 'Not one of you would operate a home computer on 1990s technology.' But that's what the DMV is doing. The judicial branch isn't much better off, relying on early 2000s technology, and it's a problem that's becoming increasingly difficult to fix. 'I am informed that this ancient system utilizes a code that is outdated — no longer being used,' Chief Justice John Kittredge told a different House budget-writing panel. 'And the number of IT people who know the code and can decipher and understand it and respond to these problems gets smaller and smaller,' he said in his first budget request since taking the helm of the judicial branch last summer. 'That pool of talent and people decreases every year.' The judiciary previously tried to upgrade its case management system, where court filings, schedules, judges' decisions and other court information can be accessed electronically. The Legislature provided $28 million to the judicial branch between 2019 and 2021 to do it, and a vendor was awarded the contract. But that contractor failed to deliver, and the cost of upgrades has grown to an estimated $100 million, Kittredge said. On Wednesday, Kittredge made his case to a Senate budget panel. The system is in constant need of fixing, and the information it provides even when working properly is 'incomplete at best,' he said. For example, he knows court backlogs are delaying justice and resolutions for families, but the judicial computer system doesn't track the numbers he needs, such as emergency child custody hearings daily, to even know how badly schedules are swamped. 'I have to embark on a treasure hunt to find out,' he said. 'Why is the judicial branch this clueless? The list of what we don't know goes on and on, and I stress to you this must change.' The judiciary still has $25 million unspent from the original contract that it's suing to void. It's also making cuts and repurposing some $30 million — collected mostly from court fines and fees — to help cover the cost. That leaves $45 million in one-time funding the chief justice is seeking from legislators in the upcoming budget. At the DMV, Shwedo has sought an upgrade for the past seven or eight years, but it keeps getting pushed back. 'We can't afford to wait for the system to be broken.' he said. 'When we kick the can down the road because the system hasn't broken yet, we're playing Russian roulette.' Between June 2023 and July 2024, the DMV system went down 14 times and had to be fixed, according to the agency's budget proposal. And it's only going to get more expensive over time, Shwedo said. The Legislature set aside a total of $26 million in the last two budgets for the project. The DMV also has squirreled away $18 million in fees it collects. Shwedo wants to raise the remaining $43 million needed for the upgrades by upping the fees it charges for drivers' records and other documents. He needs legislators' approval to do that. Bumping those charges from $6 up to $10 per driver's record would put South Carolina more in line with fees charged in other Southern states and bring in an extra $12 million annually, he said. That's enough to pay for the new system within five years as well as cybersecurity measures to protect against identity theft. After the upgrade's complete, the additional fees will cover the system's annual maintenance costs. 'If it breaks, it will take years to fix,' Shwedo said. 'I don't know what the pain level is.' He reminded legislators of the four-hour waits at the DMV that South Carolinians complained about before the current computer system went live in 2002. Shwedo told legislators there are states in the Southeast where residents cannot get an appointment at their local DMV for three months. He declined to specify which states. But news outlets in North Carolina and Florida have reported on three-month waits. In North Carolina for example, only 16 out of nearly 100 offices have a small number of appointments available in the next three months. Still, every office in the state takes walk-ins for those willing to wait in line, reported WLOS in Asheville. In parts of Florida, people can spend an entire day waiting in line on top of a three-month wait for an appointment just to change their address or get a new ID, reported WSVN in Miami.
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Yahoo
Real ID: Why you want to get one soon
(WSPA) – For 7 years we've been implementing the Real ID in South Carolina, and now a new deadline is fast approaching. So should we take this one seriously? With 40% of adults in this state still lacking the more secure ID the answer is, yes. Get one soon or face long lines at the DMV and TSA checkpoints. Waiting at the DMV is fun, said no one. But for a million South Carolinians who still don't have a 'Real ID-compliant license,' there are looming consequences if you don't go soon. 'If you wait for more than a day you're a fool. The lines are going to grow,' Kevin Shwedo, the Executive Director of the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles. said. Starting May 7th, if you don't have a star on your license you can't get into secure federal buildings, except for jury duty, military bases and you're gonna have trouble at the airport. Tiffany Cherry, Spokesperson for the Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport, said Homeland Security will require a Real ID to get through TSA checkpoints unless you have a valid passport or military ID. Before you're cut off from flying altogether, the mandate will enter its final phase from May 7th of this year to May 7th of 2027. 'In that time if you don't have it you'll have to do extra screening that means more time at the checkpoint,' Cherry said. 'I don't want to do anything that's going to require additional time to get through checkpoints,' Monica Gillespey said after we told her the news at the airport. Turns out the Texas resident didn't realize her license renewal 4 years ago put her in the clear. 'Well, lookie there. So, I don't have to do anything, it's already done. Yeah Texas,' she said after seeing the star on her license. But in SC where 40% of adults like Quintez Moiman have yet to get one, it's not that simple. 'I'm pretty sure you have to do it online,' he said. The truth, you can't. In South Carolina, you have to go in person. 'Oh OK. Another reason to go wait at the DMV then,' Moiman said. Director Shwedo also confirmed you cannot book an appointment at South Carolina DMVS, but he did say the DMV website can save you time. The DMV website shows current wait times at all locations. A good strategy is to head to one that gets less foot traffic. By the way, make sure you use the right DMV website since there are lookalikes that may try to charge you extra. A few more things to keep in mind; there's no additional cost to get a Real ID, just your standard $25. Also, in the state of SC, you don't legally need one to vote or drive. Before you go, the Sweet Caroline Motor Vehicles App can help you make sure you have all the documentation you need. And folks, the burden of proof is real. But don't take my word for it. 'The sexist point of view is, the people who are going to be handling the most documents are the ladies with the most name changes,' Shwedo said. Here's why. Men who have not changed their name only have to bring in: an original birth certificate or current passport two forms of mail showing residency your social security number (you don't need your card, but you have to have the right number) Women who have changed their name and don't have a valid passport, have to bring in documentation of every name change since birth: birth certificate marriage certificate perhaps a divorce decree or more plus the two forms of mail a social security card that matches your current name Shieeda Boyd, in Columbia, learned that the hard way. We met her on her 5th attempt at getting a Real ID, and it was a no-go. 'I've been married for 16 years. It's never been a problem, and now this last time I had to come and get it renewed and it won't do it,' Boyd said. The problem is that the name on her social is still her maiden name. 'It's just frustrating because now I have to take off and go through Social Security and that's not easy,' Boyd said. The point is, you don't know the hurdles until you go, so Shwedo's tongue-in-cheek advice? 'Come now. Or wait until the middle of March and meet your neighbors,' he said with a laugh. By that time, he knows, the line will already be much longer. Starting in September, the SC DMV will be rolling out a new more secure driver's license system which could further add to your wait time for a license. At that time DMV locations will no longer be making and handing out licenses, but they will instead be mailed to drivers by a third-party distributor with added security features. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
