The Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) announced Friday that it is lowering a number of fees following an independent review of its fee structure.
13 Investigates has reported that the BMV was accused of overcharging for driver's license and other fees since 2007. A $30 million settlement was recently reached.
"Upon being informed of potential errors in administering fees, Governor Pence directed the BMV to conduct an independent review of the more than 300 fees the BMV administers," said BMV Commissioner, R. Scott Waddell. "That review showed just how complex the statutes that govern fees are, and we found several errors that have led to both undercharges and overcharges on a number of fees. The BMV has taken immediate steps to address any overcharges by crediting affected motorists' accounts and has corrected all overcharged fees going forward."
Barnes and Thornburg, an Indianapolis-based law firm, conducted the review of the Indiana Code that governs the fees the BMV administers. The review found that a number of fees are governed by multiple statutes. In order to simplify the administration of fees and better serve the driving public, the BMV and the governor's office will work with the General Assembly to address this complicated statutory system and eliminate future confusion.
