Department of Motor Vehicles

by STEPHANIE GLANTZ

The Senate Committee on Transportation discussed Senate Bill 2-0-4 today. The bill would establish a next-of kin registry for the department of motor vehicles.

The registry would be an internet website for the department to store all the emergency contact information, and then could be accessed by law enforcement when needed.

Troopers from the Nevada Highway Patrol issued nearly 12,000 traffic citations to motorists observed talking, texting or reading non-voice communication while operating a motor vehicle on Nevada’s highways in 2012.

Thirty of the offenders last year received their second citation for the same offense with 25 of those witnessed on their phone for a third time and cited once more. In all, as of Dec. 26, 2012, there were 11,992 citations issued.

CARSON CITY – Nevada’s state  Senate Republican leadership today expressed support for a state policy that makes thousands of young immigrants living in Nevada eligible for a state-issued driver’s license or ID.

The Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles, with the support of Gov. Brian Sandoval, announced this week that its policy would be to honor the employment authorization card granted to successful applicants under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Deferred Action program.

CARSON CITY – Gov. Brian Sandoval today announced he has appointed Bruce Breslow as director of the Department of Business and Industry, effective November 12. Breslow is currently Director of the Department of Motor Vehicles.

Today, Saturday, is the last day to register to vote either online, mail-in, by field deputy or party registrations.
All Nevada residents who plan to register to vote or update their voter profiles online at www.registertovotenv.gov must complete the process before 8 p.m. on Saturday.
Voters can register today, Saturday, by 4:30 p.m. at the Clerk-Recorders office, 885 E. Musser Street, Suite 1025 in Carson City.

CARSON CITY – With 60 days until the general election and just over six weeks until early voting begins, the Secretary of State’s Office today announced that Douglas County has become the final county to offer online voter registration.

CARSON CITY – About $87 million in state taxes that could be parlayed into 10 times as much to pay for critical road improvements are ready to flow to the state Department of Transportation next year, but there are concerns the money could be diverted to other needs.

CARSON CITY – The Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles has approved Google’s license application to test autonomous vehicles on Nevada public roads.

It is the first license issued in the United States under new laws and regulations that put Nevada at the forefront of autonomous vehicle development.

Beginning in April the Nevada Highway Patrol will step up enforcement and crack down on residents who register their vehicles in other states.

The Nevada Highway Patrol has flagged April as a month for officers to crack down on Nevada residents who register their vehicles in other states.
 

New Lake Tahoe license plates are appearing on the vehicle fleets of major ski resorts and businesses in the Tahoe Basin, as support for the Tahoe plate program in California and Nevada continues this winter.

Heavenly Ski Resort helped launch the program in 1996 and has 140 vehicles plated for Tahoe. Northstar Resort, Squaw Valley, Alpine Meadows, and Tahoe Dave’s Skis and Boards have ordered new Tahoe plates.

CARSON CITY – Nevada took a bold step forward today as lawmakers approved regulations allowing for the operation of self-driving vehicles on the state’s roadways.

The first in the nation regulations were approved by the Legislative Commission, and could provide for economic development opportunities in Nevada.

CARSON CITY – For the first time ever, Washoe County voters will soon be able to register and make changes to their current voter registration online.

Beginning in mid-April, the Washoe County Registrar of Voters office, working in collaboration with the Nevada Secretary of State’s office, will make the switch to Nevada Online Voter Access (NOVA); allowing citizens to go directly online and register to vote or update their current information.

RENO – Gov. Brian Sandoval said today his plan to repeal 654 unnecessary regulations will assist in the state’s efforts at economic diversification and job creation by making Nevada more business friendly.

In addition to the repeal of more than 600 rules, another 1,100 will be updated as a result of an executive order he issued in January 2011 imposing a one-year freeze and calling for his cabinet to thoroughly review the entire regulatory framework of the state. The review was finalized last week.

Extreme snow sports legend and Transformers film wingsuit stuntman JT Holmes has finished shooting promotional TV spots for the Tahoe Fund’s Plate for Powder program, which gives purchasers of California and Nevada

The snow forecast to hit the Lake Tahoe region during the next few days is expected to give the Tahoe Fund's Plate for Powder program a boost along with Sierra ski resorts and businesses. Drivers who purchase a California or Nevada Tahoe vehicle license plate will receive two free ski lift or Nordic tickets to the resort of their choice. New Tahoe plates cost $50 in California and $61 in Nevada.

CARSON CITY – Nevada is one of several states that will not make a Jan. 30 federal deadline to implement a newly mandated safety rule to ensure truck drivers have proof they are medically safe to drive, potentially putting federal highway dollars at risk.

The new rule from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCS) requires state motor vehicle departments across the country to create a new database that will be linked nationally to keep track of the proof truck drivers need to show they are safe to drive.

The Carson High School Chamber Choir - the most advanced group of choir students at the high school - gave an impromptu, and much applauded, selection of Christmas and Hanukkah music to the surprised (and delighted) patrons and employees of the Department of Motor Vehicles this Thursday afternoon. This is the third year they have appeared at the DMV.

The state's Interim Finance Committee questioned Corrections Director Greg Cox over contradictory plans for running the license plate shop at the Nevada State Prison once the facility closes down. The original plan was for the shop to stay where it is and be run by minimum security inmates. But Cox had also been looking at moving the plant to either the Northern Nevada Correctional Center on the south side of Carson City, or to High Desert State Prison near Las Vegas. He said they didn't currently have the money to make that move.

The IFC also got the final $521,904 bill for the special election to fill Nevada's Second Congressional District seat after Gov. Brian Sandoval appointed Dean Heller to the U.S. Senate seat vacated by John Ensign.

The IFC also approved funding for 20 of the 30 new positions for the Department of Motor Vehicles approved by the 2011 Legislature. The new positions are supposed to help cut the wait time at DMV offices, which have increased since 85 positions were eliminated due to budget cuts.

****

A coalition of organizations is urging the Attorney General's office to reject a multi-state settlement with the banking industry over allegations of widespread falsifying loan documents and other wrongdoing in the wake of the mortgage foreclosure crisis. New York and California have already signaled that they will not sign onto the agreement, and the Attorneys General of Nevada and California recently announced that they will work together to investigate allegations of wrongdoing by the banks.

****

The Carson City Board of Supervisors approved an agreement with the Nevada Small Business Development Center at UNR to work together to operate the city's Business Resource Innovation Center, under the leadership of its new director Michael Salogga.

CARSON CITY – Nevada iPhone users now have DMV information at their fingertips with a new iPhone and iPad app called “DMV Mobile”.
Motorists planning a trip to the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles can look up wait times at six metropolitan offices, get maps to all of the offices and kiosks, look up personalized plates and even schedule a drive test.

With back-to-school buying stagnant but an uptick in sales expected this holiday season, the Retail Association of Nevada (RAN) is forecasting a mixed outlook for the state’s retailers.

CARSON CITY – The state Board of Examiners today approved a 10-year, $27.6 million contract to install kiosks in grocery stores statewide where Nevadans will be able to renew car registrations, extend drivers licenses and perform other tasks that might otherwise require a trip to a Department of Motor Vehicles office.

CARSON CITY – A federal agency that sought comment on rules that would have applied commercial motor vehicle regulations to farm vehicles on public roadways has decided not to go forward with any changes, bringing a sigh of relief to Nevada farmers and ranchers.
The U.S. Department of Transportation said in a statement that it has determined “that most states have already adopted common sense enforcement practices that allow farmers to safely move equipment to and from their fields.”

A former Chicago commodities broker, missing for more than three decades and declared legally dead, was discovered working as a sports book writer in Las Vegas and arrested on false identity charges, the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles reported today.
Arthur Gerald Jones, 72, was arrested July 19 and booked into the Clark County Detention Center on four felony charges relating to identity theft and fraud. Bail was set at $20,000 following an initial appearance July 21.

CARSON CITY – Brian Sandoval became the first governor in the nation to be “taken for a ride” in Google’s self-driving car.
Sandoval went for a ride in the modified Toyota Prius from the capital city halfway through the Washoe Valley before returning to the Department of Motor Vehicles office where the car and a duplicate were on display.
Click here to read the story.

CARSON CITY – Brian Sandoval became the first governor in the nation to be “taken for a ride” in Google’s self-driving car.
Sandoval went for a ride in the modified Toyota Prius from the capital city halfway through the Washoe Valley before returning to the Department of Motor Vehicles office where the car and a duplicate were on display.

A southern Nevada supermarket will now offer customers the ability to renew or reinstate automobile registrations on the way to the produce aisle.
The newest self-service “DMV in a Box” kiosk opens today in an Albertson’s grocery store at 4850 W. Craig Road in Las Vegas. It is the first supermarket in southern Nevada to host such a kiosk.

By Jake Sunderland
CARSON CITY, Nev. – According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Traffic Safety Facts report, during 2009, more than 5.5 million motor vehicle crashes were reported to police across the U.S. If you were in an accident, would you know what information to get for an insurance claim? The Nevada Division of insurance offers these easy to follow tips to get the necessary information following a crash.

Be Prepared

CARSON CITY – A contractors representative told the state Transportation Board today that officials missed out on opportunities to increase road funding in the 2011 legislative session, and that failing to act promptly on the issue could cost Northern Nevada a competitive bid for the 2022

CARSON CITY – A state lawmaker testified today that the federal government’s unfunded mandates on issues such as clean air, clean water and flood zones are imposing costs on Nevada taxpayers without authority or justification.