Senator Jeremy Miller (R-Winona) today supported the first phase of a solution to get Minnesota’s new vehicle licensing and registration system (MNLARS) back on track after months of problems and complaints.

Senate File 3133 appropriates $9.65 million for MNLARS technical staff and technical repairs using an existing special revenue fund. The bill also includes strict oversight measures, including a quarterly report from the Office of the Legislative Auditor, and a mechanism for the legislature to shut off all funding if development benchmarks are not met.

“I have been listening to the frustrations of constituents, deputy registrars, and auto dealers, regarding MNLARS virtually since it was rolled out last July,” said Senator Miller. “We have been working hard to determine the best path forward, and I am pleased with the bipartisan solution we arrived at. Most important, we have a plan to begin fixing the problem.”

Senate File 3133 details:

– The bill creates a bipartisan MNLARS Steering committee specifically responsible for legislative oversight.
– The bill requires Department of Public Safety (DPS) and Minnesota IT Services (MN.IT) officials to submit to the MNLARS Committee by May 15 a specific timeline and benchmarks for MNLARS to become fully operational.
– The MNLARS Committee must approve any additional appropriations as benchmarks are met.
– The committee would have the ability to stop MNLARS funding if MN.IT and DPS fail to meet promised benchmarks.
– The executive branch, as well as auto dealers and deputy registrars, will be involved in the process by submitting reports to the MNLARS Committee.

After a decade of development and nearly $100 million spent, MNLARS was rolled out July 2017 and has been plagued with problems ever since.