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DMV asks for technical fixes: medical codes on IDs and mailing flexibility under AB 20
Summary
The Nevada DMV presented AB 20, a cleanup bill to (1) clarify printing of medical condition codes on IDs to work with the new medical symbol introduced last session and (2) give the agency mailing flexibility for insurance notices. Supporters and a leading auto industry group backed the changes; a caller raised privacy concerns.
Sean Severa of the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles briefed the Senate Committee on Growth and Infrastructure on Assembly Bill 20, a DMV cleanup bill that would (1) explicitly allow the agency to continue printing medical codes on the back of driver's licenses and identification cards to accompany a medical symbol on the front, and (2) permit the DMV to use private carriers such as FedEx or UPS for certain mailings.
Severa told the committee the medical code is an optional numeric reference that emergency responders can use to identify a driver's listed medical condition; the DMV does not print the condition itself on the card. He said the provision aligns with the intent of SB 362 from the prior session and restores a capability the DMV has used since 2003 but which LCB clerical issues had affected in codification.
"This is not something new that the DMV has been doing; we've been doing it for 20 years," Severa said. He also told the committee the agency had a positive fiscal timing impact in its fiscal note related to renewals under another bill and would absorb minor grammar costs.
Support and opposition: Industry representatives including the Alliance for Automotive Innovation supported AB 20 and noted a friendly amendment clarifying an indicator inside autonomous vehicles that activates while automation is engaged. A caller on the phone line opposed the printing of a medical code, saying the change would be an "invasion of privacy" because it would alert insurers and government agencies to health conditions; the DMV replied that the code is optional and that it does not print diagnoses on cards.
Why it matters: DMV witnesses framed AB 20 as a technical fix that restores intended functionality from prior legislation and reduces operational friction for the agency; supporters described the autonomous‑vehicle indicator amendment as a safety improvement.
Next steps: The committee closed testimony on AB 20 after short in‑person and phone testimony and accepted clarifying questions. No committee vote is recorded in the hearing transcript.
