As a result of recent legislation passed in the 124^th Ohio General Assembly, Ohio citizens will now have an exclusive committee to examine the customer service practices of the BMV and to make recommendations for improvement.  The BMV Citizens Advisory Committee, a direct result of House Bill 182, and pursuant to Ohio Revised Code Section 4501.025, has been established as an advisory body.  The nine (9) member committee is chaired by House Bill 182 sponsor, Representative Kirk Schuring, with Senator Bill Harris serving as the vice chair.

In addition to establishing the committee, a toll-free telephone number (1-866-238-2888) and an e-mail address (AdviseBMV@dps.state.oh.us) have been put into service for citizens to provide comments and suggestions directly to the BMV as well as the committee members.

The purpose of the committee is to provide feedback to the BMV on the state of its relations with the public by undertaking a review and evaluation of the client service practices of the BMV and advising the BMV on methods to improve its interaction with the public. The act requires the committee to examine at least the following:

As an advisory body, the committee is required to develop recommendations for the BMV on how to improve its interaction with the public. All recommendations must pass the committee by a majority vote. The act instructs the committee to provide copies of its recommendations to the Governor, the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the Director of Public Safety.

Contact with the Committee

To aid the committee's work, the act directs the BMV to establish a toll-free telephone number and an e-mail address for the committee. Either mode of contact may be used by citizens who wish to inform the committee of a complaint, suggestion, or other comment about their interactions with the BMV. The act requires the committee to review periodically any telephone calls or e-mails that it receives. Furthermore, the BMV must cooperate with the committee in the performance of the committee's duties.

Expiration of the Committee

In accordance with the state sunset law, the act sets the expiration date for the committee three years after the date of its creation, provided that the General Assembly has not taken action to continue its existence. If the General Assembly extends the committee beyond the three-year duration, it must do so in accordance with the process of renewal specified in the sunset law regarding the automatic expiration of statutorily created agencies. The sunset law states that "an agency may be renewed by passage of a bill that continues the statutes creating and empowering the agency, that amends or repeals those statutes, or that enacts new statutes, to improve agency usefulness, performance, or effectiveness."  Any renewal of the committee must be for a three-year period only.

Committee membership and organization

Under the act, the Citizens Advisory Committee consists of nine appointed members and the Registrar of Motor Vehicles, who serves as an ex officio nonvoting member. The Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives each appoint three members to the committee. The President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives each must appoint one legislator from their respective houses to serve on the committee. Of the three members that the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives each appoint to the committee, no more than two may be members of the same political party. Initial appointments to the committee must be made not later than 60 days after the effective date of the act.

The initial terms of the members are staggered to prevent complete turnover in any one year, but all subsequent terms are for three years. The act contains standard appointment procedures, including procedures for filling vacancies. Members are eligible for reappointment. The act provides no compensation for members of the committee although voting members receive reimbursement for necessary expenses incurred in the conduct of their official duties. Under the act, the committee must meet at least twice a year and at any other time the chair determines is necessary.