BMV expresses confidence in REAL IDs at budget hearing

ST. CROIX — The V.I. Bureau of Motor Vehicles appeared before the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday to provide testimony in defense of its 2025 budget and offer updates on a handful of topics, including the implementation of REAL IDs in the territory.

Director Barbara Jackson-McIntosh delivered testimony regarding the bureau’s recommended $6 million budget for the coming fiscal year. That includes a $3,656,910 appropriation from the government’s General Fund, one million dollars in BMV funds, and $1.4 million from the Personalized License Plate Fund.

The BMV projects that it will have collected almost $11.2 million in revenue by the end of 2024 — more than half a million dollars above its collections for 2023. During the relatively brief budget hearing, lawmakers sought updates on a number of longstanding issues, including abandoned and unregistered vehicles as well as the rollout and efficacy of “REAL IDs” issued by the BMV.