Efforts underway to help ailing Minnesota DMV licensing process

The mess that is the Minnesota DMV’s driver’s license system appears to be only getting worse.

Around $93 million has gone into the new system known as MNLARS — a system that has created long lines at the DMV, lengthy backlogs frustrating drivers with complaints that are constantly pouring in.

It’s frustrating both drivers and the workers that process the licenses.

That’s the state of Minnesota DMV’s new driver’s license system

Around $10 million more was approved to fix the system last month by lawmakers.

Now, the state’s IT department wants $33 million more to get the system running correctly — by July of next year.

“It’s been a total, complete failure,” Republican rep. Greg Davids of Preston said. “You can’t make this stuff up. You couldn’t write this script. You couldn’t even think about this stuff.

“It’s just, I think government has lost their mind.”

Davids agrees the issue ranks among the worst of the state government fiscal screwups.

“People are upset about the MNLARS thing but I have to put that in perspective,” Davids said. “We’ve thrown $100 million down the tank and have nothing to show for it but people seem to forget we’ve thrown $600 million down the tank with MNSure and have nothing to show for it.”

Plans are in place to add more than two dozen employees to respond to complaints about the driver’s licensing system.

Davids is among the Republicans pushing for big projects like MNLARS to be contracted to private companies.