Many states, including Arizona, Colorado, Maryland, and Georgia, are starting to issue mobile licenses that drivers carry in a digital wallet on their smartphones.
This week, a legislative committee got an update on what it would take to issue them in North Carolina.
The North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles commissioned a study on the concept. Findings were presented to a joint meeting of the House and Senate Committees on Transportation Appropriations.
The study looked at whether drivers should pay for the service. In some states, like Arizona, drivers get mobile licenses free of charge in addition to their physical license. Louisiana, on the other hand, charges a fee. The NCDMV study recommends offering electronic cards as a no-cost add-on.
鈥淭he rationale there is just that there would be more uptake,鈥� said Aaron Cornell of the legislature鈥檚 Fiscal Research Division. 鈥淎nd it would be a little easier to implement without having to worry about, did someone pay their fee, and did they pay it to us or to a third-party vendor, just to make sure that everybody would have access to this.鈥�
The General Assembly would also have to decide if mobile licenses can be used in the same way as their physical counterparts as acceptable photo ID for voting or having documents notarized.
鈥淭here would obviously be some staffing and IT support if individuals need to, say, ask questions at the DMV call center, or maybe get some technical support,鈥� Cornell said.
The General Assembly would also have to appropriate funds for the program and NCDMV would have to put out bids for a third-party contractor to create the licenses.
While other states are issuing mobile licenses, North Carolina鈥檚 DMV is facing pressure from the public and lawmakers to improve the services it already offers. DMV Commissioner Wayne Goodwin announced last week that he would step down from the job once the North Carolina Department of Transportation hires a successor.
Newly elected State Auditor Dave Boliek is investigating the agency.
Lawmakers also ordered a study looking into the possibility of privatizing DMV services. Cornell presented the findings to the joint committee on Tuesday. The report recommended further study before moving DMV services into private hands.
