South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles leadership told the House Education and Public Works Committee on Oct. 12 that the agency needs a modernized system and more stable staff funding to meet growing citizen demand and federal requirements.

Kevin Shweto, executive director of the DMV, said South Carolina’s population has grown from roughly 4 million to 5.3 million during his tenure and the DMV has not seen commensurate staff or budget increases. “We have a 33% turnover rate annually. 500 of the 1,500,” he said, describing training burdens when new hires replace trained staff.

Shweto said the agency still runs on a legacy system called Phoenix, written in COBOL, and argued modernization is necessary to avoid catastrophic service failures and to support identity‑dependent services. “We are the department of identity. Everything starts with identifying people,” he said. He told legislators a modernized system would cost about $100 million and warned that prior large procurement efforts in other states failed when vendors were not equipped to complete modernization projects.

Real ID and service demand: Shweto stressed that only about 60% of state residents have a Real ID and warned that federal screening rules will limit airport and federal building access for those without one. He said the DMV expects lines to lengthen as citizens migrate to get Real ID credentials and urged public outreach.

Operational and security details: Shweto described DMV responsibilities that reach beyond issuing licenses — from titling and registration to identity fraud prevention and criminal‑justice interface — and said a modern system would reduce fraud, improve data security and allow future features such as secure mobile driver credentials. He also described ongoing changes including centralized card issuance (planned for September) and noted centralized issuance and phone‑based credentials would improve security and reduce fraud risk.

Why it matters: Committee members expressed support for modernization and salary improvements and asked the director for more data. Shweto said DMV staff must be compensated to retain employees, noting prior salary increases had been eroded by inflation and that the agency faces competition from private employers offering higher pay.

Ending: Shweto offered direct contact information to legislators and urged them to pursue a modernization appropriation; committee leaders said they would continue to press for funding in the budget process.