Capitol Comments by Peggy Bennett

Government needs to be accountable to the people. Minnesota taxpayers deserve to know their money is being spent wisely and responsibly. As a legislator, one of my main goals is to ensure this happens in all areas of state government. That’s why the Legislature has taken its time to examine in detail the budget for the broken Minnesota License and Registration System (MNLARS), the computer system that processes transactions when you go to the DMV. We’ve also insisted on major accountability measures to ensure your dollars are going where they’re supposed to, and to avoid throwing good money after bad.

The process to create MNLARS started 10 years ago. While originally supposed to cost $48 million, the budget ballooned to nearly $100 million of taxpayer money. When the system was finally rolled out in July, it was nothing short of a flop. Still to this day, I hear from local registrars and everyday Minnesotans about the many glitches, backups and months-long delays for simple tasks like transferring a vehicle or renewing tabs. This is causing extraordinary stress on registrars, many of whom are private business owners, who have to pay for overtime staff as well as try to navigate the transaction backlog. Unfortunately, the issues don’t end there.

Those in charge of MNLARS are now asking for an additional $43 million total with an immediate need of $10 million by March 31. Understandably, citizens are frustrated they’re being asked to pay even more for a system that should already work, and legislators are left wondering where all the money’s gone. That’s why we’ve been pouring over their budget requests with a fine-toothed comb and insisting on accountability measures to be put in place before one more penny is spent.

On Thursday, the House and Senate passed a compromise to allocate $10 million from a special revenue account within the Department of Vehicle Services to address the immediate concerns. Also, our proposal requires those in charge of MNLARS to show us their roadmap and timeline for fixing the system before receiving more funding. These reports are essential to ensure no more tax dollars are wasted. While the governor wants to raise certain license fees by $2 per transaction, I think our bill is the responsible way forward. It protects taxpayers and calls on Dayton to take responsibility for MNLARS as he’s stated already.

One of my jobs as a legislator is to make sure taxpayer dollars are spent wisely. MNLARS is an example of a project that needed more accountability and transparency to the people of Minnesota. I’ll continue to look for ways to make sure Minnesotans’ hard-earned tax dollars are being spent in the most responsible and accountable fashion. We are committed to helping fix this disaster, and the passage of our bill will help fix the broken system before the March 31 deadline, but we aren’t going to simply hand over a blank check. Minnesotans expect more than that.

Peggy Bennett, R-Albert Lea, is the District 27A representative.