Committee advances bill allowing third-party providers to offer some DMV services amid data and cost questions
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Summary
The committee moved Senate File 95, which would let certified third-party providers administer driver's license testing and motor vehicle services (excluding titling). Supporters said it could reduce wait times; ETS warned of up to $8 million in technical costs without narrower scope; an amendment adding enforcement authority passed. The committee reported the bill out by roll call.
CHEYENNE — The Senate Transportation, Highways & Military Affairs Committee advanced Senate File 95 on a 5-0 roll call vote after hearing testimony about potential convenience for residents and substantial questions about IT costs and data security.
Sen. Pappas, the bill sponsor, said SF95 would permit third-party providers — including organizations like the American Automobile Association — to administer written driving and skills tests and provide motor vehicle services such as driver licensing and registration, but would not allow vehicle titling. "This is a may, not a shall," Sen. Pappas said, emphasizing the permissive nature of the proposal and YDOT's rulemaking role.
The bill would create a Motor Vehicle Division Partner Program administered by the Wyoming Department of Transportation (YDOT) and require providers to meet training, bonding and certification standards. YDOT Deputy Director Taylor Rossetti said the department envisions starting with lower-risk transactions, such as vehicle registration, and piloting physical locations in population centers: "Malls, stand-alone buildings — that's absolutely what I think we're envisioning here," Rossetti said.
Jeff Clines, director of Enterprise Technology Services (ETS), cautioned that Wyoming's current systems were not built for third-party access and that ensuring a zero-trust architecture could require substantial work. "Our high-level estimate was about $8,000,000," Clines said, describing the figure as a worst-case for duplicated cloud environments, one-time contractual services and additional full-time staff to handle auditing and support.
County treasurers raised administrative concerns about fee sourcing and the need to preserve accurate assignment of county registration fees to taxing districts. "We place significant importance on accurate sourcing of fees to tax districts," said Lindsay West, Carbon County Treasurer and president of the Wyoming County Treasurers Association, urging YDOT and counties to coordinate on rulemaking and implementation.
Representatives of AAA Mountain West and the Wyoming Business Alliance testified in favor, saying third-party service models have worked elsewhere and can defer some costs to vendors. "AAA is very amenable to creating the right system for what works in Wyoming," Catherine Wilkinson of AAA said.
Sen. Pappas offered a department-proposed amendment to add statutory authority for enforcement and special enforcement officers to monitor third-party compliance; the committee adopted the amendment and then approved SF95 as amended. Roll-call votes recorded Senators Anderson, Barlow, Cooper, Kolb and Chairman Pappas voting aye.
The bill will proceed to the Senate with questions left for the next stage about how much of ETS's estimate is avoidable through vendor solutions, how auditing will be funded, and the precise list of transactions YDOT will permit third parties to perform.
The committee adjourned public testimony after the vote.
