November 15, 2012 Commissioner Barbara Fiala New York State Department of Motor Vehicles 6 Empire State Plaza

Albany, NY 12228 Dear Commissioner, As a legislator and New York State taxpayer, I am deeply concerned by your decision to enter into a contract with a Canadian company to produce New Yorks drivers licenses. According to several media outlets, the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) has commissioned a Canadian company, CBN Secure Technology Inc., to produce black-and-white drivers licenses. While the company that has ably produced New York licenses with color photos for 16 years lowered its initial bid by 10 percent, the contract was awarded to CBN for $38 million more than what were currently paying, even though its bid was the highest one considered. Why would the state pay $38 million more to a company that plans to provide only black-andwhite photographs and black-and-white licenses? This decision is especially troubling considering the very real concern that the new licenses may be less secure than other vendors can offer. According to court filings, the state has indicated that due to significant budgetary constraints the cost of the contract must be reduced. Only in New York would the remedy for significant budget constraints entail spending more money. This is particularly galling at a time when rooting out government waste is so critical for New Yorks economic revitalization. Your claim that CBN, the highest bidder, presented the best value for New Yorkers does not necessarily ring true. Exporting this contract to Canada while compromising the security of licenses by switching to a black-and-white format may in fact represent not only a bad value for the people of New York, but also bad judgment. For example, please explain whether the black and white polycarbonate card is indeed more secure than the less expensive, color-picture IDs made of teslin. Also, please explain whether or not the RFP indicated the state wanted a blackand-white or a color photograph, as there is apparently considerable confusion on that issue. I anxiously await your response. Thank you in advance for taking the time to explain your decision. Sincerely,

Steve McLaughlin MEMBER OF ASSEMBLY