[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6322008,"mediaKeyId","2348445-f2c8177aa1e5a93e013b84f8e5cbddaa","parentId",2348445,"title","Committee hears bills to expand driver-test scheduling and raise no‑show fees","audioSeconds",2112,"startMs",652000,"endMs",2764000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2348445-f2c8177aa1e5a93e013b84f8e5cbddaa&start=652&end=2764","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2348445-f2c8177aa1e5a93e013b84f8e5cbddaa/thumbnail_652000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6322008/Minnesota/Committee-hears-bills-to-expand-driver-test-scheduling-and-raise-noshow-fees","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6322008-1721e1bad55146371f983280d157e401/orig.mp4?Expires=1775948412&Signature=I6Zs8XaNWit9p~sUf-RJzNpn2F-IutYQhAIdc9vHwx1oDK9odDWXel5xP52ZjZndrvGBmt~pzXPobRB1dHC64avBIlgJcgb327uIjUYNvjIGLdVU9w07goJz-PUNyAQ7OxZf3XViHFFDxYxF0CHHy9m80ffoGejTVd9cy4n~E2sMMv4n3idtfbIAiuP12GKk01q-MXRIlpdELWfyYqoYlOvN-SgquKrtBC2U2xPJM52SlwiDcwbpXr8oem8xmVzWk~4l7Zhc494U0IkY98a~rBztOmw5f6cEaumch~vm6xwIzarh7VINwRPC6bTVlRyCxpWVxeddLI39bm8kJb0kTA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Minnesota Senate","date","2025-02-20T00:36:03.773Z","article","ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Senate Transportation Committee on Wednesday considered two bills aimed at easing the backlog for on‑road driving tests by changing how appointments are released and increasing penalties for missed appointments.

Senate File 294, carried by Senator Grant Jasinski, would require the commissioner to make a portion of projected road‑test appointments available farther in advance: at least 50% available three months out, 75% two months out and 100% one month out. The bill also would restructure the fee for failing to appear: a $50 fee for cancellations or no‑shows within 24 hours and a $20 fee for cancellations between 24 and 72 hours. The bill would keep the current $20 fee for a third‑time retake of a failed road test.

The measures aim to let Minnesotans — particularly teenage applicants — plan ahead and reduce the scramble to find appointments. \"We've got some funding for it, but it continues to be an issue,\" said Senator Grant Jasinski, who told the committee many families log on or travel long distances to secure road‑test slots.

Why it matters: long waits for Class D road tests have pushed some applicants to travel to other counties to find openings, fueling complaints from residents and requests to the Legislature. Committee testimony stressed that timely access to tests is a frequent constituent complaint and that improving scheduling would help families and reduce unsafe queuing at exam sites.

Division concerns and data

Peng Zhang, director of the Driver and Vehicle Services Division (DVS), told the panel the agency understands the bill's intent but warned that releasing appointments farther out could increase cancellations and hold slots unused. \"We pulled up last year's—last calendar year's cancellations, and 48% of all cancellations and no shows are within the last 24 hours,\" Zhang said, adding that longer lead times encourage customers to book earlier but also to cancel closer to the appointment date.

Zhang said DVS saw improved attendance after instituting a smaller no‑show fee and that the division is implementing more robust reminder and confirmation functionality. \"We have a robust reminder system, and we are actually looking at more creative ways to be even more robust in our notifications and reminders,\" Zhang said.

Union and staffing perspective

Pat Benner, a legislative representative for AFSCME Council 5, supported raising the fee but urged flexibility. \"We're not necessarily wed to $50 being the final number,\" Benner said, adding that any change should be evaluated and could include a sunset or report to test effectiveness.

Zhang told senators that DVS has hired 30 new examiner positions this fiscal year and expects all 30 to be trained and operating by spring. The director also said the agency had expanded weekend testing in the metro area and has converted an office in Plymouth to focus on Class D tests; at the time of the hearing, Zhang said there were about 7,000 appointments available across the system.

Local‑priority proposal and technical risk

Senate File 1181, also introduced by Jasinski, would stagger booking windows to give local residents longer lead time (60 or 90 days) to reserve slots at nearby exam stations while opening remaining slots to nonlocal residents as time shortens. DVS cautioned that implementing a geography‑based priority would require customization of the MnDRIVE system and additional GIS functionality, which the agency said would be a technical and contractual lift with FAST (the vendor) and carries operational risk.

Committee action and next steps

Committee members agreed to hold the bills for further work and fiscal analysis. Several senators urged DVS to explore improvements to reminder and cancellation workflows that would allow automatic cancellations via simple confirmations. The committee laid both bills on the table for further consideration pending fiscal notes and implementation details.

Votes at the hearing: the committee adopted no roll‑call votes on these bills; both Senate File 294 and Senate File 1181 were laid on the table at the hearing for later action.

Ending

Committee members said they expect additional data from DVS and a fiscal note on system changes before deciding whether to advance the bills. Supporters said they will continue to refine proposals to balance appointment access with realistic customer behavior and system capacity.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Committee on Transportation - 02/19/25","oneSentenceSummary","ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Senate Transportation Committee on Wednesday considered two bills aimed at easing the backlog for on‑road driving tests by changing how appointments are released and increasing penalties for missed appointments.","taxTitle","Transportation, Senate, Committees, Legislative, Minnesota","taxId",15815,"location","Minnesota","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":44,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6321999,"Agency bill would reorganize name‑change evidence and clarify license revocations for vehicle homicides",256,396000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2348445-f2c8177aa1e5a93e013b84f8e5cbddaa&start=396&end=652","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2348445-f2c8177aa1e5a93e013b84f8e5cbddaa/thumbnail_396000.jpg","/articles/6321999/Minnesota/Agency-bill-would-reorganize-namechange-evidence-and-clarify-license-revocations-for-vehicle-homicides","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6321999-bea59eac491d32ecb6217935060924ba/orig.mp4?Expires=1775948412&Signature=H89UHQqe6NFsgIsaj9068UHlKaaWW~HPnPuBiMeI6-yiJPi-CRGBnqT4Kg-6WP1ePJM0AGHf~LeznHi8cc5ACBPNTKSW8ZzzQXmNorwBRJz7BDlYcXJZcoNU0z5E3pOJzLJK79McZ6sa~4Un2bDSLX-rY4BSd8F4qIHmepGODfiYCNVjCxJNQoBwLZpNzvwVRfZfsfO~eY5BQXkUFzYXKKGlLx6505dResv5zMNokzCz4gQ7aHzioNcs4Rq8bFsR7pEnVXhQg0s4GuA9BiiRzy7-NuwNXcsxeCq6Uvi8CmOQzPSXlQEJYzi96mVT~42BulZqEH7-h5nvK21P0dEtJg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","ST. PAUL, Minn. — Senate File 1361, described to the Transportation Committee on Feb. 19 as an agency cleanup bill, would reorganize the statute on evidence of identity and name changes for driver's license applications and separate revocation language for manslaughter from criminal vehicular homicide or injury.

Senator Erin Johnson Stewart presented the agency bill to the committee and introduced Peng Zhang, director of the Driver and Vehicle Services Division (DVS), as the testifier. \"This bill...reorganizes requirements relating to presenting evidence of one's identity when applying for a driver's license related to a name change by separating documents used as evidence of an applicant's name change into a separate subdivision,\" Johnson Stewart said.

DVS described the change as administrative. \"This doesn't result in any process or practice change for DVS. It is cleanup,\" Director Peng Zhang testified, adding that the reorganization corrects a drafting error from a prior session when language moved from rule to statute. Zhang also said the bill would clarify revocation language after a court case required overturning a revocation and created uncertainty about how manslaughter was being applied in the existing statutory language.

The bill does not change the types of documents accepted to prove identity or how DVS uses those documents; it is a reorganization and clarification of existing statutory language, the agency said.

Committee action

The committee laid Senate File 1361 on the table after testimony for further consideration and potential use as a vehicle for other policy items, as discussed by the chair.

Ending

Committee members signaled they may use the bill as a vehicle for related policy work and asked staff and the agency to remain available as the committee considers additional changes.","Senate File 1361, presented Feb. 19 as an agency bill, would reorganize how evidence of name changes is located in statute and separate manslaughter revocations from criminal vehicular homicide/injury revocations. DVS described the bill as statutory cleanup with no operational change.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6322004,"Committee considers fee‑sharing and reimbursements to support deputy registrars",1519,3001000,4520000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2348445-f2c8177aa1e5a93e013b84f8e5cbddaa&start=3001&end=4520","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2348445-f2c8177aa1e5a93e013b84f8e5cbddaa/thumbnail_3001000.jpg","/articles/6322004/Minnesota/Committee-considers-feesharing-and-reimbursements-to-support-deputy-registrars","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6322004-02a7d8059d85b43ecd02642ac5462336/orig.mp4?Expires=1775948412&Signature=H10uSZZT4CwoDIm4UGyftteGkG57u5ULG7AG2K9nls~mtCmSZ6k9kWZ73tFxgLVS3mXqXreB852yk4ZLJRcV3ooIDrXMJYuymHpcehQ-OU3gJjX~TmXJIPaAvgGKigcL3tAeJoNHTk6KgrVc108mUMv8wh4wjtJzqDjsCcDUiiEuPzVqfzgDJQ3nysX2hRNjOSv75RYeIS7nhgKoBstDU91M-zFLGXs1pJo6Ejx0bLSXQCPbfEiJEBXVOIEIwG92jeQa8It~XieqHpHvE34h4-sYQ6mJq2GRA2qo67aFUtrhxE6XvoAqn9nK~v6dhJzrslIPpBE2RsUvRfqX8-jy0Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","ST. PAUL, Minn. — Owners and managers of deputy registrar offices told the Senate Transportation Committee on Feb. 19 that an increasing share of routine vehicle and driver transactions done online has eroded the revenue base that supports local offices, and they supported two bills to redirect some fees back to those offices.

Senate File 1164, amended with an A.1 author's amendment that the committee approved, would create a deputy registrar fee‑sharing account and a driver's license agent fee‑sharing account. For some mail‑ or online‑completed vehicle transactions, the bill would deposit half of the statutory filing fee into the fee‑sharing account and split the remainder between Driver and Vehicle Services operating and technology accounts; a new $5 surcharge on mail renewals would be split between DVS and the fee‑sharing account. The amendment sets an effective date of Oct. 1, 2025.

Senate File 1165 would reimburse deputy registrars for certain transactions that currently carry no fee, using a quarterly distribution based on the number and types of transactions. The bill specifies reimbursement calculations for renewals and \"other\" vehicle transactions (examples: $9 for renewals and $13 for other transactions under the bill's language) and would appropriate funds from the DVS operating account for those disbursements.

Why it matters: many deputy registrar offices — public and private — rely on small filing fees to cover rent, staffing and scanning/processing costs. Testimony from owners and managers said the shift of simple renewals and other routine work to state online services has left local offices to handle more time‑consuming transactions without commensurate compensation.

Owners and managers speak

Mike Hintz, who owns three deputy registrar offices, said the business model has changed: where staff once collected paper and mailed it to the state, clerks now enter data, scan records and manage more complex transactions. \"A renewal used to be quick; now a title transfer can take 15 minutes and we do the data entry the state used to do,\" Hintz said. He told the committee many offices are \"on the brink of closure\" without fee sharing.

Amanda Coppin, manager at the South St. Paul deputy registrar office, told senators the trend is widespread and urged action so offices can keep providing in‑person service for customers who cannot or prefer not to use online options.

Agency concerns and fiscal questions

Peng Zhang, director of the Driver and Vehicle Services Division, said DVS recognizes the role of deputy registrars but cautioned that the online and mail transactions that would generate fee‑sharing revenue are completed in the state's systems by state employees. \"This bill, though, would compensate them for work that's done entirely by state employees,\" Zhang said, and added that a surcharge on mail renewals could create customer confusion.

The committee adopted the A.1 author's amendment to SF 1164 by voice vote; Senator Grant Jasinski offered the amendment. Members also discussed a fiscal note and the governor's related budget proposals, which include other approaches to supporting deputy registrars. Testimony cited a recent independent review (the King report and a Barry Dunn financial sustainability assessment) recommending fee sharing and reimbursements.

Committee action and next steps

The committee laid Senate File 1164 as amended on the table and then considered Senate File 1165; both bills were laid on the table for further work and fiscal analysis. Advocates asked the committee to ensure reimbursements and fee sharing adequately cover staff time and fixed costs, and the agency asked to see fiscal detail showing impacts to its operating and technology accounts.

Ending

Supporters said they will continue to pursue legislation to stabilize deputy registrar offices across the state; the committee asked DVS and fiscal staff for cost estimates and the expected impact to agency accounts before advancing either bill.","Lawmakers and deputy registrar owners argued Feb. 19 that online transactions have stripped revenue from local deputy registrar offices; committee considered bills (SF 1164, SF 1165) to share filing fees and reimburse no‑fee transactions. DVS said some online work is done entirely by state employees and warned about revenue impacts.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Committee hears bills to expand driver-test scheduling and raise no‑show fees

Agency bill would reorganize name‑change evidence and clarify license revocations for vehicle homicides

Committee considers fee‑sharing and reimbursements to support deputy registrars