Committee Passes MNLARS Fix Aid

The Senate Transportation Finance and Policy Committee approved a proposal Monday, March 12, that provides $7.3 million in support to improve the state's Minnesota Licensing and Registration System, referred to as MNLARS.

As part of the legislative package, the plan includes legislative oversight for the continued software development that drives MNLARS and has left the public and license administrators frustrated. The bill would require the Department of Public Safety and Minnesota IT Services, MN.IT, to submit benchmarks to achieve a fully functional system.

To date, the state has spent about $93 million dollars on updating the MNLARS computer system, and the administration requested about $40 million dollars to maintain contractors working on the computer fix.

The bill is expected to be debated on the Senate Floor later this week.