PHOENIX — State Representative David Cook of Globe thinks the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) should "pump the brakes" on allowing 3rd party vendors to issue driver's licenses, vehicle titles and government IDs after an auditor general report revealed a lack of oversight by Arizona's Department of Motor Vehicles raised risks to public safety.
Cook sent a letter to ADOT Director Jennifer Toth expressing his concerns.
Across Arizona, more than a third of the driver's licenses, vehicle registrations and government ID's are issued through 3rd party vendors.
"I'm not opposed to getting rid of them," Cook, who is the chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure committee.
Among the findings: a 3rd party contractor issued a REAL ID travel identification to a foreign national without verifying the person's Arizona residency or visa status.
On at least eight occasions contractors issued driver's licenses to people without any record the person took a driver's test or vision test. And, state inspections for five public school districts that test bus drivers were past due, some by almost a year.
Cook says ADOT was alerted to similar problems with 3rd party vendors in a 2015 audit. "The Auditor General report says it all. Government employees are tasked to work under the same statute, same laws. These 3rd parties are not doing the job that we are telling government employees must be done under the law. That's just crazy," Cook said.
In a statement, ADOT wrote:
The Department has reviewed the transaction errors reported in the Arizona Auditor General’s report covering transactions from March through October of 2022. Of the 130 transactions reviewed, 25 appeared to have had unresolved mistakes at the time of their review. Since the Auditor General review, the department has reviewed each identified instance of missing documentation. In each case, the missing documentation has been addressed. The department found no evidence unauthorized or ineligible persons received any benefit. In none of these cases was a credential given to someone other than the verified customer, a vehicle transferred to someone other than the proper owner, or a license provided to someone without passing the required written, driving and vision tests.
In June of this year, MVD piloted a new quality assurance program among 10 of the authorized 3rd party locations. As of August 14, 2023, MVD has moved out of pilot phase and required all ATPs to participate in this program. MVD will continue to evaluate the program for effectiveness and efficiency. As part of this program, ATPs’ in-house quality checks are being reviewed and verified by MVD staff. An ATP that does not complete its reviews or address its errors will be subject to corrective action. The new processes are being documented at this time and memorialized in MVD policies and procedures.
Additionally, ADOT is performing an independent audit of all ATPs to ensure compliance with A.R.S. Title 28, Chapter 13, Article 1, and review those identified as low performing, non-compliant, or high-risk by the Arizona Auditor General audit report. Based on the findings, ADOT, in consultation with the Attorney General’s Office, will take appropriate corrective action consistent with statute and ATP contracts, up to and including cancellation.
