Driver's license Real ID contract costs state $29 million

The Nevada Board of Examiners on Tuesday approved a contract for $29.2 million to plan and deliver a drivers' license system that meets the federal Real ID standards.

Digimarc, which supplies the driver's licenses now issued by Nevada's Department of Motor Vehicles, will also supply the new secure licenses.

DMV Director Ginny Lewis said the biggest difference in her department's operations is that the licenses will be created in a secure, central location instead of on simple machines at each DMV office. She said the centralized system will take over in September.

When the new licenses are issued, she told the board they will have 15 security features instead of the current design's five, making them much more difficult to counterfeit.

The computer programming at DMV will allow a search of the license database to match the photo taken for a new license with the most recent photo of that individual when they go to renew their license.

She said the facial recognition software will be able to make those comparisons to weed out people trying to steal somebody's identity.

"This is huge for fraud, for identity theft," she said.

The higher cost of the licenses themselves, she said, will be passed on to drivers. But she said it's not a big increase. Instead of the $2.25 photo fee added to the $21.25 license renewal fee, now the photo fee will be $3 for a total of $22.

The contract with Digimarc will run through 2017.

In addition, the board consisting of the governor, secretary of state and attorney general approved $344,436 to staff the state fusion center in Carson City. That center, together with the Las Vegas center already in operation and the Reno center which is nearing completion, will coordinate homeland security efforts statewide.

The board approved $52,284 for the Pardons Board to pay for audio/video equipment in the board's hearing rooms in Carson City and Las Vegas. That equipment will allow video-conferencing of parole board hearings, which is necessary because the 2007 Legislature mandated that all inmates be allowed to attend their hearings.

The board was told nearly $400,000 has already been allocated to the Department of Corrections to install those systems and $516,000 to the Parole Board for added staff required by the new rules.

The board voted to write off $101,663 in debt owed the Department of Corrections which has been deemed uncollectable. Prison officials advised board members much of the debt is medical costs and that the inmates who owe the money simply don't have it and don't have any way to raise it.

Another $15,000 on the state books was written off because, according to Controller Kim Wallin, most of those who owe the money are deceased.

• Contact reporter Geoff Dornan at gdornan@nevadaappeal.com or 687-8750.