South Carolina's Department of Motor Vehicles told the House Education and Public Works Committee that the agency needs a technology overhaul and sustained funding to keep up with population growth and federal deadlines for Real ID.

Kevin Shweto, executive director of the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles, spoke candidly about workforce pressures, the agency's aging IT platform and the need to modernize. "We are operating on a system called Phoenix that existed before the turn of the century," Shweto said, urging legislators to support a multi-year modernization effort.

Why it matters: The DMV issues identity documents, administers licensing and registers vehicles; an outdated system can disrupt many downstream services from law enforcement checks to benefits administration. Shweto warned that about 60 percent of South Carolinians currently hold a Real ID and that the federal Real ID deadline will restrict access to certain federal facilities and commercial air travel for people without compliant credentials.

Staffing and service pressures

- Workforce and turnover: Shweto said the DMV has grown responsibilities as the state's population increased from about 4 million to 5.3 million during his tenure, but staff and budget increases have not kept pace. He reported roughly a 33 percent annual turnover rate and described many frontline employees as single parents and long-serving public servants paid at relatively low starting salaries.

- Training burden: The director said individual DMV employees must handle hundreds of transaction types governed by state and federal law — from titling and registration to identity verification and international tax agreements — and that frequent turnover increases training demands.

Technology and Real ID

- Legacy system risk: Shweto said the DMV's core system (Phoenix) relies on COBOL-era code and that repeated outages or a failed modernization would hamper many state functions. He estimated a modernization price tag near $100 million and said past attempts in other states have failed when vendors could not deliver.

- Real ID outreach: Shweto urged residents to obtain Real ID-compliant credentials ahead of federal enforcement dates: "If you don't have your Real ID, you're making a real mistake there because you will not get on an airplane on July," he said, warning that military families and other travelers could be affected.

Policy and funding asks

Shweto made a direct appeal for funds and legislative backing for modernization, and asked lawmakers to help the agency by promoting Real ID uptake. He said DMV's only formal budget request this year is to modernize its systems to reduce fraud and service interruptions and to support centralized card issuance and later mobile driver's licenses.

Discussion and follow-up

Committee members praised DMV staff and pressed about DUI enforcement, school resource officers and potential transfers of titling responsibilities from other agencies. Shweto also discussed centralized issuance plans that would deliver new secure cards by mail and a phased centralization of issuance later in the year.

The meeting did not produce a funding vote. Shweto said he would continue outreach to legislators and encouraged members to refer constituents with DMV problems to his office for help.