Committee debates House File 795 to expand DVS appointment options, weigh higher no-show fee

Representative Lee Cagle introduced House File 795 on behalf of the bill’s authors as a measure “to increase those options and opportunities” for people seeking driver’s appointments, saying parents and young people in his district have struggled to find timely slots.

The bill would change when driver exam appointments are available and contains a section addressing fees intended to incentivize people to keep scheduled appointments. The committee spent more than an hour debating whether changes such as geographic prioritization or raising the no-show fee would solve appointment backlogs or create technical and equity problems.

Why it matters: Driver exam appointment availability affects teenagers and other Minnesotans who must schedule road tests and permit examinations. Committee members said the bill aims to reduce the backlog that has left some families scrambling to book distant or late-night slots; DVS officials said operational constraints and customer-service tradeoffs complicate some of the proposed fixes.

What members heard and decided Representative Cagle told the committee he had heard “horror stories” of parents and teenagers struggling to get appointments and urged changes to ease booking. Representative Green, who offered an amendment on fees, said his family recently completed a permit test “and we were in and out in 45 minutes,” and expressed concern that higher fees might harm low-income Minnesotans or encourage sick customers to attend appointments they should skip.

Peng Zhang, director of the Driver and Vehicle Services Division (DVS), testified that the agency currently has “over 6,000 appointments available in all 10 regions” and emphasized two practical limits to a proposed amendment that would gate early appointment windows to county residents. Zhang said, in part, “from a technology standpoint, it's really difficult to implement. It would require us to do some site customization to [the scheduling vendor] which is something we don't do very lightly.” Zhang also told the committee the DVS saw no-show and cancellation rates decline after a no-show fee was implemented but said the agency lacks data proving a larger fee would further change behavior.

Union testimony and fee data Pat Benner, legislative representative with AFSCME Council 5, urged raising the existing no-show fee from $20 to $50, telling the committee the current no-show rate is “unacceptable,” and saying “with the ballpark of 20% of tests going unfilled, every day and 48% of those being last minute no shows.” Benner said increased deterrents could improve scheduling efficiency and that staff would be open to revisiting the fee if the change proved ineffective.

Committee actions and motions - The A4 author’s amendment was adopted by voice vote; the committee chair announced the amendment “is adopted” but no roll-call tally was recorded on the transcript. - An amendment (A5) that would have limited the first month of appointments to county or adjacent-county residents was moved by a member and then withdrawn after debate and questions about enforceability and technical feasibility. - Representative Green moved an amendment (A3) to remove the bill’s section on fees; that amendment was put to a recorded voice vote and failed when members answered “nay.” The chair said, “The motion does not prevail.” No roll-call counts appear in the transcript. - The committee did not adopt the bill or vote to pass it; instead, House File 795 was laid over.

Discussion highlights and outstanding questions Committee members repeatedly asked DVS for more data on appointment availability and the cost impact of no-shows. Director Zhang said the agency does not break down a per-exam cost consistently across stations and explained smaller exam stations vary: staff reassigned to other duties when slots go unused while metro stations typically remain fully booked. Members suggested operational alternatives such as standby or wait lists and asked for additional updates from DVS as the bill progresses.

Ending House File 795 was laid over for further consideration. Committee members and DVS staff agreed to continue tracking appointment availability and no-show patterns as the Legislature considers measures to reduce backlog and improve access.