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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T
SPONSOR Chavez
ORIGINAL DATE
LAST UPDATED
2/26/2007
HB 1082
SHORT TITLE Drivers License Renewal by Mail
SB
ANALYST Schuss
APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)
Appropriation
Recurring
or Non-Rec
Fund
Affected
FY07
FY08
NFI
(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
LFC Files
Responses Received From
Taxation and Revenue Department (TRD)
SUMMARY
Synopsis of Bill
House Bill 1082 amends the Motor Vehicle Code and requires the Motor Vehicle Division
(MVD) to provide for renewal of a driver’s license by mail, unless an examination or an eyesight
test is required.
SIGNIFICANT ISSUES
Currently, renewal of a driver’s license requires that the driver appear at an MVD field office,
take an eye test and have a new picture taken.
TRD notes that this bill would remove the division’s ability to confirm the driver’s identity and
that their eyesight is still sufficient enough to qualify for a New Mexico driver’s license.
According to TRD, there would be some administrative saving by processing renewals through
the mail. License renewals could be processed through a centralized location dedicated to license
renewals resulting in some cost savings for the division. This would provide some relief for field
office clerks allowing them to perform other transactions and duties.
pg_0002
House Bill 1082– Page
2
TECHNICAL ISSUES
Current statute already allows TRD to provide renewals by mail, but TRD has not developed a
driver’s license renewal by mail program due to the inability to confirm a person’s identity.
According to TRD, HB 1082 would violate provisions of the Federal Real Identification Act.
OTHER SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES
Identity theft is a major concern in New Mexico and nationally. TRD is concerned that any
requirement that driver’s licenses be renewed by mail would eliminate their ability to prevent
identify theft.
BS/nt