Kevin Shweto, executive director of the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles, told the House Education and Public Works Committee that the DMV needs a technology modernization and greater workforce support to maintain services as the state grows.

Shweto said South Carolina’s population has grown from about 4 million to 5.3 million since he began his tenure and that the DMV has not seen comparable staffing or budget increases. He said the agency employs about 1,500 people and experiences roughly a 33 percent annual turnover (about 500 employees), and that earlier pay increases were eroded by inflation. “I have a 33% turnover rate annually,” Shweto said.

Technology and Real ID: Shweto described a legacy system (referred to as Phoenix) written in older code that the agency uses for titling, registration and identity services. He said modernization would cost on the order of $100 million and warned lawmakers that system outages prevent many downstream services (law enforcement visibility, identity‑fraud protections and issuance functions). He urged legislators to approve modernization funding and to press constituents to obtain Real ID credentials: “The only 60% of the state has a real ID right now,” he said, and noted that Real ID will be required for some federal access and air travel under federal deadlines.

Operational changes and security: Shweto said the DMV will move to centralized card issuance in September (cards will be mailed rather than issued at all local offices) to enhance security and that mobile/phone‑based driver‑license solutions would offer stronger biometric protections when modernization allows them. He described the DMV as the “department of identity” and said modern systems would reduce fraud and administrative costs over time.

Other remarks and data: Shweto said DMV staff handle hundreds of distinct transaction types and must be well trained. He recounted workforce demographics, earlier salary increases and the agency’s weekly training model. He also raised road‑safety concerns in passing, discussed DUI enforcement numbers that committee members referenced (Shweto noted roughly 25,000 first‑time DUI arrests in a typical year), and said many DMV functions are tightly coupled to other agencies (DOT, law enforcement and federal requirements).

What the committee asked and next steps: Committee members and the chair pledged support for modernization and said they would continue to press budget leaders. Shweto offered his direct contact information for lawmakers to report constituent issues and asked for help in communicating Real ID requirements to constituents.