Division of Motor Vehicles Director Sean Marasco briefed the Transportation Committee on near-term DMV projects and customer-service changes, and described an initiative to implement an autism "blue envelope" program without new legislation.

Marasco said the DMV is phasing in a new driver-license vendor and expects production through the new vendor “by the end of the month.” He told the committee the agency processes large volumes — roughly 400,000 in-person transactions annually, about 1,000,000 active driver licenses in the state, and 400,000 titles issued each year — and said the agency is working to reduce license-production wait times and improve form clarity.

Projects under way include eTitle/eLien to digitize title transactions, a prospective move for a regional office (Raymond) to replace an older co-located facility, and a mobile DMV vehicle to provide transactions for areas without convenient offices and for immobile customers. Marasco said a mobile vehicle will be outfitted with the necessary technology to perform transactions in nursing homes, military establishments and other locations.

On customer experience, Marasco described investments in safety monitors at counter locations, additional employee training (including active-shooter response and Stop the Bleed first-aid training), and operational changes that reduced license production times from multiple weeks to same-day or next-day in some cases.

Responding to Representative Greg Hill’s question about the ‘‘blue envelope’’ autism program, Marasco said the DMV and the Department of Safety do not need a legislative change to adopt the program. He said the DMV will work with New Hampshire Police Standards and Training and the Office of Highway Safety to implement a voluntary envelope program and corresponding training for first responders; the program is intended to allow people who are autistic to present information to first responders to facilitate safer, calmer interactions.

The DMV leadership also highlighted planned improvements to the phone system, continuing form reviews, and maintenance of in-person services while rolling out digital projects such as eTitle.