Under the bill, DMV would be removed from the Department of Public Safety and made a stand-alone Cabinet agency with the director appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Senate.

DMV, which registers vehicles and licenses drivers, originally was part of the former Department of Highways and Public Transportation. During the 1993 state government restructuring, portions of DMV were sent to the Revenue Department and other portions to the Department of Public Safety. The entire division was put under DPS in 1996.

"DMV has been treated sort of as a redheaded stepchild; it's bounced around from one agency to another," said House Speaker David Wilkins. "Now it's going to stand alone. The governor's going to appoint the director. There's going to be a direct chain of command and accountability."

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"I think this bill certainly provides that accountability, and I'm very encouraged by the similarities between this bill and a lot of the recommendations included in the task force report. We've also said all along that taking a hard look at privatizing certain aspects of DMV was long overdue," Sanford said.

Public Safety officials wouldn't say whether they support the measure but said they would work with the General Assembly.

Under the bill, the agency would enter into contracts with public and private entities to administer driving tests. Drivers' license expiration dates would be extended from five to 10 years for most people, and drivers could get tag renewal stickers and registration from DMV offices, county treasurers' offices or private entities.

DMV came under fire from legislators last summer when a new computer system was implemented and technical glitches kept residents waiting for hours in long lines across the state.

And problems at the agency go beyond long lines. Sanford's task force said the agency also has slow mail-in services, inefficient call centers, cramped facilities and a multimillion-dollar computer system that is not completely functional.

The bill incorporates suggestions made by Sanford's task force and by another group appointed by Wilkins, R-Greenville.

"We worked long and hard on these recommendations and think this bill recommends a major step forward in the kind of reform that will make the DMV customer friendly and reduce the lines and the stress long associated with a visit to the DMV," said Rep. Ronald Townsend, R-Anderson. Townsend was chairman of Wilkins' study committee and leads the House Education and Public Works Committee where the bill will be debated.

Wilkins said he expects the long lines at many DMV offices to decrease if the bill becomes law because customers will be able to take care of the same business at other locations.

"It demands from DMV more accountability and more efficiency and it certainly makes it more customer friendly," Wilkins said.

--From the Friday, February 7, 2003 online edition of the Augusta Chronicle