Free, family expo on Oct. 6

SOSLive is a Secretary of State experience like you have never seen

On October 6, Michigan residents are invited to explore all aspects of the Secretary of State’s Office at SOSLive, a free family expo that is part of the Empower Yourself Open House event at Oakland Community College in Auburn Hills.

SOSLive will feature driving simulators, interactive games, technology demos, job opportunities, information on Michigan Department of State programs and services, and a full-service mobile SOS.

Watch the promotional video

Along with OCC, organizations that will participate include the Michigan Center for Truck Safety, the Isabella Co. Sheriff, the Michigan Trauma Coalition, Ford Safe Driving Skills for Life, CARFIT, William Beaumont Hospital, the Transportation Improvement Association, ignition interlock exhibitors and other traffic safety partners.

“Our department is known as the face of state government because we interact with millions of Michigan residents each year,” Secretary of State Ruth Johnson said. “At SOSLive, you can get your business done with us on a Saturday and enjoy a fun and interesting showcase of the best that the Secretary of State’s Office and our partners have to offer.”

SOSLive runs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. For more information, please visit Michigan.gov/soslive.

SOS hires more staff to prepare for Driver Responsibility Fee Law repeal

In an effort to shorten wait times at offices, Secretary of State Ruth Johnson recently announced her office is hiring additional staff for offices across the state to address increased transaction numbers when tens of thousands of residents regain eligibility for driver’s licenses upon the elimination of the Driver Responsibility Fee Law on Oct. 1.

The Legislature eliminated Driver Responsibility Fees this year and approved $1 million for Johnson’s office to hire more customer-service employees through next year. Johnson also directed that unspent funds her office conserved through cost savings be put toward the hiring effort to make offices more convenient to visit.

“We are adding more clerks to address the expected increase in customer volume,” Johnson said. “I am grateful to lawmakers and Gov. Snyder for eliminating Driver Responsibility Fees and allowing us to add staff to serve the many thousands of people who will be coming in to obtain a new license and a fresh start.”

Adding staff will help offices manage the wave of applicants who have had their suspensions lifted due to the elimination of the Driver Responsibility Fee law. The number of transactions also is up at offices due to Michigan’s greatly improved economy, Johnson said.

Some positions have been filled with part-time workers and student assistants, and the Secretary of State’s Office is seeking candidates for those vacated part-time positions on the state’s job openings website. State government jobs also can be found at Michigan.gov/jobs.

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Mobile Office is on voter reg. tour

The Secretary of State Mobile Office continues its 2018 Voter Registration Tour of college campuses across the state, having already registered hundreds of new voters.

Upcoming stops include Lake Superior State University on Sept. 21, Grand Rapids Community College on Sept. 24, Grand Valley State University on Sept. 25, Western Michigan University on Sept. 26 and Michigan State University on Sept. 27.

See the entire schedule

SOS given organ donation award

The national organ donation advocacy group Donate Life America has awarded Secretary Johnson its DMV Innovation Award for her and her office’s efforts to promote organ donation and encourage people to join the state’s donor registr.

Johnson made huge changes in the way the Secretary of State’s Office approached organ donation when she took office in 2011. The registry has since grown from 27 percent of Michigan adults in 2011 to more than 64 percent to date, with the registry now topping 5 million names.

MDOS has new policy director

Secretary Johnson recently announced John Llewellyn as director of the department’s Office of Policy Initiatives.

As policy director, Llewellyn oversees the Office of Government Affairs, which works with the Legislature and the governor’s office on legislative and public policy matters as they relate to the department, and the Office of External Affairs, which facilitates outreach to external groups and constituents.

Llewellyn, of Fremont, has been executive vice president of government relations for the Michigan Bankers Association since 2005.

“After 25 years working in and with the Legislature, John has a tremendous amount of experience and knows how to get results,” Johnson said. “Our department is very fortunate to have one of our state’s top policy experts join our team,” Johnson said.

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