Committee hears plan to replace Honolulu’s driver’s‑license card production system

The Committee on Government Efficiency and Customer Services on July 16 received an update from the Department of Customer Services on plans to replace Honolulu’s driver’s‑license card production hardware and software and to issue a new polycarbonate card design.

Kim Hashiro, director of the Department of Customer Services, told the committee the existing card technology dates to 2009 and the hardware and software are now obsolete. “The updated design results in a solid piece of polycarbonate,” Hashiro said, noting the new cards use laser‑engraved photos and data, embedded anti‑counterfeit patterns, translucent windows, microtext and holograms to make replication more difficult.

Hashiro said the department incorporated national DMV standards and updated Real ID markings as part of the redesign. She described a change in the Real ID visual—moving from a gold circle with a star to a black circle with a star—and emphasized that current credentials remain valid until they expire.

The department also plans operational changes the director said will speed customer service: consolidating separate photo and processing windows into a single end‑to‑end service window, reducing staff photo‑editing to a one‑click process, and adding automated document recognition so staff can verify uploaded documents more quickly.

Hashiro described a new full‑size temporary document that customers will receive at issuance while the new plastic card is mailed. Under the new process the customer’s old credential will be hole‑punched and returned rather than retained by staff. “TSA does not accept temporary documents or invalidated cards like hole‑punched cards for travel,” Hashiro said, advising customers to renew early or check TSA guidance before traveling.

On production timelines, Hashiro said the department currently quotes 6–8 weeks for mailed cards and expects that to fall to about 4–5 weeks after the system upgrade. She also described a web portal that customers can use to track production status using a unique ID printed on a temporary receipt, and said the department will offer a pure online duplicate for $7 (no data changes).

Committee members pressed for schedule and budget detail. Councilmember Cordero said she had reviewed the presentation and asked whether the new cards would apply to renewals as well as new licenses. Hashiro said yes. Cordermember Cordero also asked whether the FY26 and FY27 budget increase for ID cards (from $1,300,000 to $1,390,000) reflected higher card costs; Hashiro replied that the increase reflects multiple factors, that the current per‑card rate remains the same for now, and that the upgrade cost is being absorbed into a multiyear contract as a per‑card increase when the new system goes live.

Hashiro repeatedly emphasized that the final major phase is thorough data‑migration testing. “We are in the middle of doing that right now,” she said, adding that the department hopes to go live in a few months and that she is looking at a fall launch if testing proceeds as planned. She said the initial migration will move existing data into the new system; expanding the types of data collected (for example, emails or phone numbers) could occur later but would require implementation work and would be limited to information the system supports.

The director said Honolulu administers the statewide contract and that counties pay a statewide per‑card rate; the city serves as lead for procurement and contract management while counties participate in testing and planning. Hashiro also said the department has tested the new card format with TSA to confirm barcodes and data display properly and that testing will continue.

Members asked about fraud and disaster response. Hashiro said counterfeit IDs are available online but the new card’s security features should make replication more difficult. She added that quicker duplicate issuance and the new software platform would help the city respond more quickly in the event of a disaster that causes widespread ID loss, and raised the possibility of mobile MVD units to serve remote areas.

Public testimony was brief: one in‑person testifier, Angela Melody Young, said she was “a fan of the DMV process.” The committee asked no votes and adjourned after the presentation and member questions.

The committee’s next procedural steps were not set at the meeting; Hashiro said the department will post updates and an explainer video and will share additional implementation details as the project approaches a live transition.