State lawmakers are trying to address long lines at the Division of Motor Vehicles by making it easier to renew driver's licenses online.
DMV offices have been dealing with a surge in people trying to get a REAL ID under new federal requirements. Rep. Reece Pyrtle, R-Rockingham, says people who get their REAL ID shouldn't have to come back to the DMV in the following years.
"You get your REAL ID, but your expiration doesn't change," he said. "With this bill, the day you get your picture taken, it creates a new expiration date, and that counts as an in-person visit — and that driver's license is good for eight years."
Pyrtle's bill would allow people to renew their driver's license online if they got a new license photo during their last DMV transaction.
It would also allow some drivers getting a full provisional license to do that online without submitting a driving log. Under current law, teen drivers seeking to move up from a limited provisional license requires a driving log that shows they've logged 12 hours of driving time.
"These also are provisions that the Governor's Highway Safety Task Force are in favor of, and they keep drivers safe while making sure that they don't have to have yet another visit to the DMV because of the backlog and the lack of staff," said Rep. Zack Hawkins, D-Durham.
The bill passed the House Wednesday alongside a budget bill that would fund more driver's license examiners and open several new DMV offices. Those include locations in Fuquay-Varina, Cabarrus County, Brunswick County and the town of Garland in Sampson County.
While the budget bill is now headed to Gov. Josh Stein, the driver's license renewal bill still needs approval from the Senate. That won't happen anytime soon, because the legislature has now adjourned until late August at the earliest.
Still, House Speaker Destin Hall says he's hopeful the legislation is "getting us towards getting a handle on" the dysfunction at the DMV.
"It's just not acceptable for somebody to have to spend their entire day off going to a DMV, I can't think of much worse," Hall told reporters. "It's something we've got to get a hold on and figure out some comprehensive reforms and solve the issue."
