Reader TTS

CLAIM:   Massachusetts is no longer mailing notifications for driver's license renewals. STATUS:   _TRUE._ EXAMPLE:   _[Collected via e-mail, November 2008]_ This is just a heads up to

everyone. Effective immediately the Registry of Motor Vehicles will no longer be mailing out License renewal applications or reminders to renew your driver's license. It is now the

drivers responsibility to know when their license is expiring and renew it on there own. This may be a surprise to all of you and it should be, there has been no public information sent out

about these changes. Fortunately enough we received the info in one of our trade publications. This idea could change in the future but as of right now it's a huge cost savings and they

plan to run with it. Below is a blurb from the publications. Mailings Eliminated The RMV will no longer mail out the following materials to customers: License renewal notices Mass ID

renewal notices License reinstatement letters:     Letter sent to a licensed customer when his/her license is reinstated, provided that the license is still active     Letter sent to an

unlicensed customer when his/her right to operate is reinstated Registration reinstatement letters:     Letter sent to a person or corporation whose suspended registration has been

reinstated     Letter sent to a person or corporation whose revoked registration has been reinstated Vehicle Inspection reminder letters for vehicles that are overdue for inspection

Inspector license renewal notices 7D license renewal notices Driver's Education Certificates Junior Operator Brochures for parents (still available in branches) Change of address labels

(customers can create their own) I am just passing this along, my suggestion is to pull out your license and some how set suspense to yourself to make sure you renew it. This is just a

heads up so that no one gets pulled over and car impounded because they didn't realize they hadn't renewed their license. ORIGINS:   We're used to seeing certain types of

notices arrive in our mailboxes regularly — aside from monthly credit card statements and water/gas/electricity bills, every year or two the mail brings us income tax forms, voter materials

for upcoming elections, automobile registration renewals, etc. One common type of mailing won't be arriving in mailboxes of Massachusetts residents any more, however: renewal

notification for about-to-expire driver's licenses. As of 3 November 2008, the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) will no longer be sending out notices to residents

reminding them to renew their driver's licenses. Statewide cuts and spending controls announced by Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick in October 2008 slashed $2 million from the

RMV's budget, so the RMV has eliminated mailing license renewal reminders and other courtesy notices in an effort to save money (in this case an estimated $800,000): Governor Deval

Patrick said that he will eliminate 1,000 jobs from state government and slash the budget by more than $1 billion, reacting to the national economic crisis with sweeping cuts that his

administration called the worst single round of midyear budget rollbacks in state history. The reductions will be spread across almost all sectors of state government, biting deeply into

state university campuses and community colleges, the state's health insurance programs, and dozens of social service programs — from assistance for at-risk teens to services for the

mentally ill and the elderly. The cuts range from a hit of nearly $300 million on healthcare spending to the elimination of letters to residents simply reminding them to get their

driver's licenses renewed. As noted in a "Message from Registrar Kaprielian on RMV Budget Cuts" displayed on the Massachusetts RMV web site: Like many businesses across the

Commonwealth, the RMV is working to squeeze every penny of savings from our budget in the wake of a drastic downturn in the state's economy. To weather this financial storm, the RMV is

adopting operational changes that, we believe, will minimize the impact on customer service in our branches. RMV MAILINGS The RMV will eliminate courtesy notices that are sent to customers

for the following services: License and Mass ID renewal notices Vehicle Inspection reminder letters for vehicles that are overdue for inspection Inspector license renewal notices 7D license

renewal notices Driver's Education Certificates Junior Operator Brochures for parents Change of address labels For now, at least, it's incumbent upon residents of that commonwealth

to be aware when their licenses are due to expire and to initiate the renewal process on their own in a timely fashion. LAST UPDATED:   4 November 2008 -------------------------  

_Sources:_ *     Viser, Matt.   "Patrick to Cut 1,000 Jobs from State Payroll."     _The Boston Globe_.   16 October 2008.