HOUSTON — Legislators want solutions to long waits at the Department of Public Safety, but aren’t sure more money will make a difference.
This week the Senate Finance Committee heard budget recommendations from DPS, which barely made it past the first few sentences.
Sen. John Whitmire of Houston was the first to speak up and call out a department he believes has failed to live up to the expectations of being one of the premiere departments in the state.
“It’s not only embarrassing and politically a liability. It’s just morally wrong,” said Whitmire.
On paper, the budget calls for an additional $420 million to pay for more employees. It wasn’t clear if the money would only go toward hiring, or if it would also help increase the wages of current employees.
The House agreed to much less, saying $200 million should be enough to cover the employees and eventually move the licensing responsibility to the Department of Motor Vehicles.
It’s a solution that would ease the burden from a much larger entity and in return, make the reduction of wait times more of a priority.
Before a shift in responsibilities, legislators would have to agree on a bill to make the necessary changes, which means waiting until March.
DPS funding has doubled since 2013 and since that time, Whitmire says he hasn’t seen enough improvements. Senators will return with recommendations of their own, but Whitmire says the waiting has to come to an end.
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