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This week, the League testified in support of LD 645, “Resolve, To Create an Electronic Titling Work Group,” sponsored by Representative Bruce White (D-Waterville). Representative White is a board member at New Dimensions FCU and sponsored the bill on the League’s behalf.
“An electronic titling program has the advantage of reducing the burden on dealers and lenders and can speed up the process of title transfers,” said Robert Caverly, League Vice President of Governmental Affairs. “At the present time, there is a significant backlog at the DMV that has led to costs to credit unions and delays to consumers. This sort of backlog would likely be eliminated under e-titling.”
Secretary of State Shenna Bellows testified in strong support of the proposal, opening her testimony by saying she was “excited to testify” on LD 645. She also stated that titling modernization is “long overdue.” While answering a question from the Committee Chair, Secretary Bellows spoke about the significant backlogs that exist due to the office closures during the pandemic. She recognized the burden that the backlog has placed on Maine’s business community.
LD 645 does not aim to immediately modernize Maine’s titling, but rather it forms a working group to be headed up by the Secretary of State. The proposal intends to have interested parties come together to develop a plan for what electronic titling would look like in Maine. E-titling has been a stated goal of the Bureau of Motor Vehicles for a long time, but a lack of resources has not produced any results.
The League continues to advocate with the Secretary of State’s office regarding the current backlog of titles at the Bureau of Motor Vehicles. The League has been contacted by several credit unions reporting increased costs caused by the backlog. If your credit union has been experiencing similar issues, please contact the League’s Governmental Affairs team.