SUNSET ADVISORY COMMISSION VOTES AGAINST REQUEST TO CLOSE DPS OFFICES

  

The Texas Sunset Advisory Commission has opted to not approve the Department of Public Safety’s proposal to close numerous driver’s license offices across the state.

In a unanimous vote on Wednesday, the commission rejected the proposal, which would have closed 87 offices, many of which in rural areas.  Many of these offices are the only ones in their region.  Offices such as the ones in Giddings and Caldwell would have been affected by the closures.

DPS made the proposal as a cost-saving measure, as estimates had the department saving approximately $700,000 by closing down these offices, which were deemed inefficient.

State Senator Lois Kolkhorst of Brenham applauded the Commission’s decision, recalling a letter several state representatives sent to the office in July.  The letter opposed DPS’s recommendations, and asked that the offices stay open.

Kolkhorst stated in the letter that the government should not look to shore up inefficiencies by closing rural offices, saying the state needs to “provide services to all citizens, even those in the most rural areas.”  Kolkhorst says the Commission made the right decision, calling it “a huge victory for rural Texas.”