Governor Lamont last week signed into law a bill that will save taxpayer money and time spent at the Department of Motor Vehicles by extending the time before renewal for certain DMV processes and licensing.
Originally a concept put forth by Rep. Frey in January, HB 7201 - An Act Concerning the Convenience of Acquiring Motor Vehicle Licenses and Registrations - will allow driver’s license and identity card holders the option of renewing their credentials for an eight-year period (currently six years), allow drivers the option to renew their vehicle registrations for a three-year period (currently two years) and requires the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) establish criteria to determine whether a driver’s license or ID card holder is eligible to renew without appearing in person.
Earlier during the committee process, Rep. Frey proposed the separate concepts that led to this inclusive bill as individual pieces of legislation. He proposed bill 5930 - An Act Concerning the Duration of a Motor Vehicle Operator’s License and Motor Vehicle Registration , bill 6974 - An Act Concerning the Duration of Motor Vehicle Registration - and bill 6975 - An Act Concerning the Duration of a Motor Vehicle Operator’s License.
“Issues with the DMV are the single biggest complaints from constituents,” Rep. Frey said. “If we can reduce that interaction by a third, it will please Connecticut residents and hopefully help the DMV become more efficient. I want to thank former DMV Commissioner Gary DeFilippo for bringing the suggestion to me and Governor Lamont for embracing the consumer friendly changes.”
Previous Connecticut law required license renewal every 6 years, and vehicle registration renewal every two years. Several states issue operator licenses for greater than a six year period, and New York State currently offers the longest period between renewals at ten years.
The bill was signed into law on July 12.