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11/18/08
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7 comments
BMV: First day of new license rules ‘smooth’
BANGOR, Maine — Though personnel at Bureau of Motor Vehicles offices around the state were prepared for problems Monday, virtually none arose, a spokesman for the Secretary of State’s Office said. Monday marked the first day that people seeking a new or renewed state driver’s license or identification card had to prove they were living in the country legally. To read the requirements click here. “I would say today, day one, has been relatively smooth and we’re thankful it has been,” Don Cookson, spokesman for Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap, said late Monday afternoon, as BMV offices around the state were closing for the day. According to Cookson, staffers at the 13 BMV locations around Maine received additional training to assist those encountering the new rule. Despite the media blitz that preceded the new requirement, some Mainers were caught unaware when they showed up at their local BMV site, Cookson said. Numbers were not yet available Monday, but Cookson said that administrators in charge of the state’s 13 BMV office sites reported few issues. Waiting periods at most locations were at or below normal, Cookson said. The exception was Portland, where the typically 45-minute wait was lengthened to about an hour. The new proof of legal presence rule is the second such requirement imposed this year. In April, the state began requiring proof of residency, namely through a range of documents listing a current Maine address. A visit midafternoon Monday to the Bangor BMV office at the Airport Mall on Union Street, normally a busy time, found only about half a dozen customers on hand. Most of those customers were called to service windows before they even had time to settle in. That was not the case on Friday, when lines, and waiting periods, were longer than normal, staff there noted. Cookson and other state officials speculated Monday that the rush at BMV offices on the days leading up to the new rules taking effect was likely prompted by Mainers hoping to avoid the changes. A similar spike in customers preceded the state’s proof of residency requirement, which took effect in April, and a recent increase in fees, Cookson said.
Comments
Cookson should have said "smoothly"....not "smooth"....Smooth is an adjective;smoothly an adverb. It shouldn’t make it too much harder than it already is. Show proof of residency, that’s it. Showing proof of residency sometimes isn't as easy as it sounds, and I'm a homeowner! I had to renew my license last spring and thought I was bringing sufficient documentation with me, i.e. a credit card bill with my street address on it. But was told that the credit card bill wouldn't cut it and that I needed something "official" with my street address on it. Anyone who lives in a rural area knows that most stuff addressed to us has a p.o. box on it. Even my property tax bill didn't have my street address on it. I had to go to the town clerk's office and ask them to re-address it and print a new bill. If you're a young person renting with roommates, often times the lease, phone bill, electric bill, etc. can be in someone's else's name, and it can be extremely difficult to have something official with your street address on it. All the new regs accomplished in my case was to force me to take 2 days off work instead of one. The new laws will not prevent evil-doers from procuring false documents. The RevGerald needs to revisit his English grammar book. FYI for anyone interested. I just renewed my license today...I brought a birth certificate and my marriage license ... was in and out of there within 20 minutes ... even had an eye exam - just bring what they need, it's not difficult. Tracey -- you mean the world didn't come to an end today when the new regs went into effect? WOW who would have thought it? I renewed my license a few weeks ago..Sat waiting for 3 hours!! My 5 year old had to pee..Walked to the desk and told them we had to use the restroom and there were still 12 people ahead of me so I thought we'd be ok...Came back from the restroom 4 minutes later to find 11 of the people in front of me I thought were waiting..Well they jetted and I lost my turn..They had the nerve to tell me I would have to take ANOTHER ticket!!! Then the lady had the nerve to tell me I should have made my son HOLD IT!! I'm glad Tracey got in and out in 20 minutes....Glad I don't have to go back for another 6 years! |
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