Watch the press conference here.

ST. PAUL, MN –  On Thursday, Senator John Jasinski (R-Faribault) and a bipartisan group of legislators joined Rick King, chair of the Independent Expert Review (IER) tasked with investigating Minnesota’s Department of Driver and Vehicle Services, to discuss the findings of the group’s in-depth report.

After closing all 93 stations in response to COVID in March of 2019, only 15 were reopened two months later. The limited access especially impacted Greater Minnesota residents who drove significant distances to complete services. The IER was approved by the legislature in June of 2021 to examine the MNDRIVE system and respond to drastic changes made by the Department of Public Safety in response to the pandemic. Along with the report, the legislature approved spending more than $5 million to reopen every service station in the state.  

“The name of the game is customer service, and it’s clear from this independent, expert review that DVS is failing in that mission,” Sen. Jasinski said. “That won’t come as a surprise to anyone who has had to deal with the DMV. I endorse the recommendations in this report and will continue to look for more ways to make our interactions with the DMV faster and less stressful.”

“We have also known for years that deputy registrars are shouldering more and more of the burden for these complex and time-consuming transactions,” Sen. Jasinski added. “It’s one of the main reasons so many of these mom-and-pop businesses are struggling financially. I am pleased these independent experts have verified concerns I have heard from deputy registrars for years. It’s time to make sure they are fairly compensated for their work.”

The report includes five recommendations for Deputy Registrars, 12 recommendations for Exam Stations, and 31 recommendations for DVS.  

Recommendation highlights from the IER:   

Deputy Registrars 

• Encourage all Deputy Registrars to become or remain Full-Service 
• Amend Minnesota law to allow customer service by phone 
• Increase filing fee for driver’s license applications  

Exam Stations 

• The IER recommends DVS maintain 40-50 exam stations for the state  
• Track pass/fail rates for certified driving schools and explore methods to reduce exam retakes  
• Eliminate the knowledge test for out-of-state drivers and utilize certified third-party for knowledge and road test 
• Extend Class-D licenses from four years to eight years 
• Continue to fulfill the Office of Legislative Auditor recommendations from 2021 

DVS recommendations:  

• Implement data and reporting for customer-centric decision making 
• Staffing review to utilize technology and implement performance standards to meet Minnesotan’s needs 
• Implement a performance scorecard to monitor user experience and deliver consistently positive experiences 
• Fund fulfillment some expenses based on the number of transactions, rather than from a general operating budget 
• Identify uses for kiosks to some transitions, amend Minnesota law to allow for online applications for replacement Class-D licenses, expand the use of pre-applications to all possible areas and consider making it mandatory, automate as many transactions as possible 
• Amend Minnesota law to allow for digital artifacts rather than physical artifacts where applicable 
• Amend Minnesota law to clarify accessing records to resolve an issue is permissible even without a transaction