KTLA

DMV Would Have to Give Driver's License Photo Do-Overs Under O.C. Lawmaker's Proposal

A sample of a California Real ID is seen in a photo from the DMV's website.

Dislike that driver’s license photo you took at the California Department of Motor Vehicles? Legislation proposed by a Southern California lawmaker this week would give you up to two opportunities to do it over.

Introduced by Republican Assemblyman Phillip Chen of Orange County, Assembly Bill 2045 would require the DMV to allow licensees to have up to three pictures taken, with a voluntary donation of up to $5 for each photo after the first. The driver would then get to select the best of the three to use on the license.

The additional revenue would be placed into the Motor Vehicle Account in the State Transportation Fund and go toward driver education and training programs, according to the bill.

Drivers who currently wish to get a new photo on their license have to request a duplicate card from the DMV, according to the Sacramento Bee. That requires those under the age of 62 to pay a fee of $9 or $32.

If passed, AB 2045 would take effect on or before Jan. 1, 2022.

This isn’t the first time an effort has been made to give motorists more choice when it comes to driver’s license photos.

A similar bill was introduced back in 2018 by state Sen. Josh Newman, a Democrat from Fullerton, months before he was recalled and forced to leave office. The California Senate approved Newman’s bill, but it ultimately stalled in the Assembly.

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