Division of Vehicles presents annual report: plate rollout, Real ID uptake, NAMVTIS and staffing updates

The Kansas Division of Vehicles briefed the Committee on Transportation with a year‑in‑review of staffing, systems and operational changes, and service metrics.

DeAnne Williams, vehicle coordinator (introduced to the committee as the division’s incoming leader), said the division employs 393 people across driver licensing, vehicle services, commercial vehicle, dealer licensing and other teams. Officials highlighted implementation of the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS) to prevent title fraud, a 2025 standard plate replacement and a phased plate replacement program tied to the switch to seven‑digit plates in 2023.

“...the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System … checks nationwide to make sure that the last title that we would have received is the last title that was issued,” Williams said, describing NMVTIS as a tool to prevent title washing. She also described the current plate rollout: customers who receive a new plate this year will first receive a temporary 30‑day permit and then the mailed plate and registration decal.

Officials said the full replacement of older plates will be phased over several years and estimated a replacement cost of about $1.5 million to replace plates as the state completes the transition; staff said it could take three to four years to finish replacements. Deanna Shepherd, senior manager for vehicle services, said the division will not automatically replace recently issued plates without additional appropriation but county registrants may request the new design through their county treasurer.

Division staff reported service metrics: ICANN online vehicle renewals totaled about 571,000 in the year, accounting for part of 2.7 million total renewals; Real ID (Gold Star) adoption was at about 84 percent of Kansas license holders. Driver licensing wait times were reported at under 15 minutes on average, with appointments and walk-ins roughly balanced.

On drivers' license sanction policy, staff described implementation activity tied to recent legislation (referred to in the briefing as Senate Bill 500). DeAnne Williams said a restriction was implemented on Dec. 29, 2024; at another point Lacey Black, manager of Driver Solutions, said the change was implemented Dec. 1 and that the division planned to compile 30‑day data following implementation. The committee asked for the compiled numbers. Williams provided counts for one program year: “In 2024, we received 3,127 applications and 834 of those applications were approved,” a figure presented in the briefing for applications and approvals tied to the sanction/restriction process.

The division also noted training and quality assurance work, remote and in‑person training for driver's license staff, mobile services (portable drivers’ license machines taken to community events and facilities), oversight of driver education providers and instructors, and a list of staff contacts for committee members.

Committee members asked questions about which registrants would receive redesigned plates automatically, whether customers can pay to receive a new design and whether a purchased replacement would retain the same plate text; staff said replacements purchased through county treasurers would not preserve the same plate text. Members also asked whether low‑volume specialty plates would be discontinued; staff said Senate Bill 1818 would change the minimum order threshold for specialty plates from 500 to 250 and require annual renewal counts for continuation.

The committee thanked the division for the briefing and asked staff to provide follow‑up data on the sanction implementation outcomes and other metrics.