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Bill would prioritize rural residents for local DMV drive-test appointments
Summary
Supporters said Senate Bill 9 would direct DMV field offices in designated rural counties to prioritize behind-the-wheel driving tests for applicants who live in the county or within 50 miles, aiming to ease travel burdens on students and families in remote areas.
Senator Todd Nash, chief sponsor of Senate Bill 9, told the Joint Committee on Transportation on April 7 that the bill would direct DMV field offices in 20 designated rural counties to prioritize applicants requesting behind-the-wheel driving tests who live in the county or within 50 miles of the field office. Nash said rural residents often travel long distances and face multi-month waits for tests, creating barriers to employment and independence.
Multiple elected local officials and county commissioners testified in favor of the bill. Representative Bobby Levy (House District 58) said the proposal provides a commonsense way to relieve a backlog that forces teens and families to drive long distances or wait months for an appointment. Wallowa County Commissioner Lisa Collier described the equity and safety consequences when rural teenagers must travel far to take tests, saying the cost and logistics fall hardest on low-income families.
Amy Joyce, DMV administrator, described the agency’s perspective and operational constraints. She said there are three common ways for a teen to complete a driving test: at DMV field offices, through third-party testers, or by completing an approved teen driver education program, which can waive the drive test. Joyce said third-party providers exist in Oregon and that DMV is discussing arrangements to bring third-party testers into some rural communities on a periodic basis. She noted the root problem is capacity: "In all of Eastern Oregon, DMV has 37 frontline staff for all of Eastern Oregon," and the agency has roughly the same number of employees as 25 years ago while the state’s population has grown.
Committee members discussed teen driver education, potential school-based offerings, funding, and DMV staffing. Amy Joyce noted a $6 fee collected when licenses are issued or renewed that is dedicated to subsidizing teen driver education; witnesses described there are funds in that account for training and curricula. Several legislators asked ODOT/DMV to provide cost estimates for expanding teen driver ed access and for additional DMV staffing to reduce test wait times.
Ending — The committee closed the public hearing after public testimony. DMV staff said they are exploring third-party testing options and can provide more detailed staffing and budget estimates at members' request.
