JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – In an attempt to keep up with the increasing costs of administering license bureaus, Missouri fee agents have organized the Missouri Association of License Offices to watch out for their efforts.
“We organized our group because after the state moved to the bid process of selecting fee agents there was really no one to look out for our interests,” Lance Mayfield, a fee agent in Viburnum, Mo., said. 
After they first decided that they needed a lobbyist to watch out for their interests, they begun interviewing several and selected veteran Capitol lobbyist Jim Foley.
“We are all small, small business owners and we don’t have time to be in the Capitol all session looking out for our interests and we feel confident Jim Foley can do so,” Mayfield said.
The group’s first legislative priority is House Bill 71, sponsored by Rep. Lyndall Fraker, R-Marshfield, which seeks to increase the amount of fees that the local office can recoup.
The bill would increase the fee for each motor vehicle or trailer registration issued, renewed, or transferred and increases from $3.50 to $5.00, and the fee for a biennially sold or renewed licenses from $7.00 to $10.00. It also would increase the fee for an application or transfer of title from $2.50 to $5.00. The bill would increase the fee for each address change; instruction permit; non-driver license; chauffeur’s, operator’s, or driver’s license issued for a period of three years, and increases from $2.50 to $5.00, and the fee for each processed notice of lien from $2.50 to $5.00.
“They are small business owners, and these fees were set at 50 cents and not changed since 1998. Since then there have been several costs passed from the state to the fee agents. If we do not raise these fee small communities may lose their fee offices,” Fraker said.
Since the fee was set in 1998 local fee agents are now required to pay the postage to ship in documents to the state, as well as office supply costs, phone, fax, and internet costs, as well as the elimination of a state employee to help with drivers licenses.
“We believe it is important to allow fee agents to pick up costs that were passed to us as well as keep up with inflation. Everyone will appreciate the better service we can provide when they are standing in that line,” Mayfield said.
To contact Scott Faughn, email scott@themissouritimes.com, or via Twitter at @scottfaughn.