Sen. Patricia Bates’ Bill Will Give Californians Relief from Long DMV Lines
SACRAMENTO – In an effort to provide some relief to Californians who have to wait for hours at their local Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) office to conduct routine business, Senator Patricia Bates (R-Laguna Niguel) will propose urgency legislation that will give an additional 90 days on all license renewals set to expire this year. Her bill will also extend the deadline for new Californians to register their out-of-state cars.
“No Californian should spend an entire day off work waiting in line to take care of DMV business or wait for several weeks to make an appointment,” said Senator Bates.
“The media stories and first-hand accounts from constituents about shockingly-long wait times and other logistical challenges at DMV offices demands that the Legislature act quickly. That’s why I’m proposing a ‘Plus 90’ solution where the DMV extends license renewal and out-of-state registration deadlines by 90 days this year. My ‘Plus 90’ bill will give the DMV time to address its problems and give Californians time to plan accordingly.”
Senator Bates has heard from many frustrated constituents who have waited for several hours at local DMV offices – even those with appointments. She has also heard from new constituents that they cannot meet the legally-allowed 20-day time frame to register out-of-state vehicles because the next available appointments are several weeks away.
As the DMV works to add employees, extend hours, and pursue other actions to address its backlog problems, Senator Bates hopes her bill will provide Californians short-term relief. To encourage long-term improvements at the DMV, she supports a request from Assembly Members Jim Patterson (R-Fresno), Phillip Chen (R-Brea), and Matthew Harper (R-Huntington Beach) to the Joint Legislative Audit Committee for an audit of DMV’s operations. The Audit Committee will consider the request on August 8th.
Senate Republican Leader Patricia Bates (R-Laguna Niguel) represents the 36th Senate District in the California Legislature, which covers South Orange County, North San Diego County and Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton. Follow her on Twitter and Facebook.
For press inquiries or questions, please contact Jacqui Nguyen, press secretary for the Senate Republican Caucus, at (858) 999-7706.
