Albuquerque, NM

Last week MVD stopped suspending driver’s licenses for failing to appear in court or pay fines and fees for traffic tickets.

If your license was already suspended for not paying a fine or fee, MVD has to restore your driving privileges by Sept. 1. There is no cost to get your license reinstated, but the underlying citations, fines and fees will stay on your driving record and you may have to comply with court orders related to your case. If your license expired while suspended, you have to get and pay for a new one. If it has been expired five years or more, you also have to go through the testing process. This new law does not include commercial driver’s licenses or licenses “suspended for other reasons, such as accumulating too many infraction points, for being habitually reckless or negligent and for other reasons under state law. Those drivers may still be required to pay a reinstatement fee to restore their driving privileges,” according to MVD.

There is no longer a health standards advisory board, which reviewed physician reports related to medical and vision restrictions. Now MVD agents can accept the findings of physicians and issue credentials based on them, allowing for quicker processing.

Unhoused individuals can now get a New Mexico identification card from MVD without paying a fee.

Disabled veterans can now get more than two disabled veteran license plates; the first two are free, and any additional plates “will incur standard license plate and registration fees.”

On July 1 the annual motorcycle registration fee increases from $15 to $20.

Also starting July 1 state law will prohibit “the sale of a motor vehicle by a person who is not the owner of the vehicle or a registered dealer. It also prohibits off-site vehicle sales by licensed dealers.”

And new specialty license plates will be available July 1 “supporting the Future Farmers of America (FFA), recognizing the family and friends of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty, advocating driver safety awareness and supporting New Mexico miners.”