CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A section in the North Carolina budget bill aims to cut down DMV wait times by extending the period that a driver's license would expire.
Frederick Smith is just one of many who has stood in line for hours at the DMV.
"I had to renew my license almost two years ago and I waited two and a half hours," said Smith.
Right now driver's licenses expire every eight years, but the provision in the budget would allow them to expire every 16 years with the option to renew online every time.
The DMV says this is raising some concerns.
"The way it's drafted would put us in noncompliance with federal law, regarding REAL ID," Wayne Goodwin, a North Carolina DMV Commissioner, said.
Goodwin says the REAL ID adds an extra layer of security than your standard state ID which tightens identification standards.
"The card itself can't be more than eight years old according to law," Goodwin said.
He says if the bill provision isn't amended in a way to address these concerns it could increase the chances for counterfeiting, and North Carolina could face the possibility of stopping the issuance of REAL IDs.
"If you don't have a REAL ID and you wish to fly on a plane or go into a federal building then you'll need to have a US passport," Smith said.
They say the law does not change expiration dates on licenses which means you could still see crowds at the DMV for years to come.
"This is this will backfire," Goodwin said.
He says the best way to shorten lines and shorten wait times is to raise the salaries which will help hire and keep people in these very important positions.
If this draft gets the green light it will double the upfront cost of license renewals from 44 dollars to 88 bucks.