A new bill introduced by two state legislators would allow the state to contract out testing for standard driver’s licenses to third parties.
Introduced by Sen. Joe Leibham, R-Sheboygan, and Rep. Lee Nerison, R-Westby, the bill was in response to Gov. Jim Doyle’s proposal to close 40 Department of Motor Vehicles centers to help cut state spending, leaving many without local access to a DMV, according to Nerison.
The proposed bill would not require third-party testing for all DMVs but would allow it as an option for the state.
Many states including Michigan, Montana and Utah already allow for third party testing for standard drivers licensing. A similar bill was previously introduced, but vetoed by Doyle.
“Right now, the DMVs are extremely backlogged with people who need to take their driver’s tests, and it’s becoming a big problem,” said Leibham spokesperson Cullen Werwie.
Nerison and Leibham plan on implementing the proposal by using current third-party contractors that are already permitted to test drivers for certain types of commercial licenses.
According to DMV operations manager Patrick Fernan, the centers that would be closed under Doyle’s plan only account for 3 percent of total DMV business. However, many legislators from central and northern Wisconsin are concerned about what effect the change would have on constituents.
Although the service centers described are all temporary, the budget could leave many legislators, including Nerison, without a DMV site in their district, resulting in increased waiting times and traveling distances for driving tests.
“This is an issue that greatly effects people in my district and my ultimate goal is to serve my constituents. … We would be speeding up the process,” Nerison said.
Rep. John Townsend, R-Fond du Lac, spoke in support for the plan.
“I would be in favor of this bill, permitting that we make sure that the private testers are well trained,” Townsend said.
Despite such support, in previous statements, Department of Transportation Officials have spoken out against the plan. According to these statements, allowing prospective drivers to take their test through third parties would cost the department $242,000.
DOT officials declined to comment directly on the matter.
In contrast, some Democratic lawmakers said they need more information on the proposal.
Rep. Donna Seidel, D-Wausau; Rep. Fred Kessler, D-Milwaukee; and Rep. Christine Sinicki ,D-Milwaukee, all declined to comment, saying that the bill was too new and they had not yet formed an opinion on the issue.
However, Nerison is optimistic about the success of the bill after what he characterizes as a “mostly positive” reaction from the Senate Committee on Transportation, Tourism, Forestry and Natural Resources.
According to prior statements, the bill crossed party lines, gaining the support of Committee Chair Sen. Jim Holperin, D-Conover.
“The chair’s support, along with many other members of the committee, showed that this is a problem that really affects people, and we have the ability to solve it,” Nerison said.
