2025 Winners

International and Region 4

New Mexico Motor Vehicle Division

Creating Safer Traffic Stops for Neurodivergent People in New Mexico

Many neurodivergent individuals—such as those with autism spectrum disorder, deafness, brain injuries, intellectual disabilities, behavioral health disorders, dementia, or seizure disorders—may struggle with high-stress situations such as a traffic stop due to difficulty understanding or responding to verbal cues or body language. New Mexico lawmakers recognized this critical need and introduced legislation requiring the New Mexico Motor Vehicle Division (MVD) to establish the Nontraditional Communication Registry—aimed at protecting both civilians and law enforcement officers across the state. MVD acted swiftly and implemented the registry. Now, vehicle owners can voluntarily register with the MVD if they have drivers or regular passengers with communication disorders. 

Region 1

New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission

NJ MVC Government Partnership with Corrections

The New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission and New Jersey Department of Corrections work closely together to help eliminate a key barrier to transitioning back into society by providing inmates in advance of their release with official government identification, an important tool to help individuals integrate more smoothly back into society. Whether it’s securing employment, accessing social services and housing, or opening a bank account, verifiable, government-issued identification is critical to the steps taken on the road back to being a contributing member of society. The MVC also issues driver license renewals and duplicates under the program. The importance of such programs have been recognized by organizations ranging from the U.S. Department of Justice to respected non-profits working to improve reentry outcomes.

Region 2

Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration

DFA Driver Services Supports Annual Unsheltered Outreach Fair

The Annual Unsheltered Outreach Fair, hosted by the North Little Rock Police Department, is aimed at sharing resources to Arkansas unsheltered community and improving the quality of life for citizens needing assistance. During the 2023 Fair, Driver Control Hearing Officers engaged with community members, businesses, organizations and individuals who offered indispensable assistance and support to the homeless population in the area. Their presence not only enhances the event's impact but also reinforces the importance of collaboration between local organizations and law enforcement in addressing homelessness. Lunches were provided during the event, along with free physical/mental health screenings, a mobile shower unit, hygiene items, shave and haircuts, assistance for alcohol and opioid addiction, securing Rock Region Metro Bus passes, signing up for health insurance, a clothing bus and assistance in applying for an Arkansas State Identification Card. 

Region 3

Wisconsin Department of Transportation, Division of Motor Vehicles

Wisconsin Driver Education Grant Program

In 2024, Wisconsin DMV developed and implemented a program to provide $6 million in driver education grant funding to high school students who qualified for free and reduced lunch. The program was intended to provide low-income families a coupon to cover the costs of classroom and behind-the-wheel driver training at authorized driver education providers throughout the state. Enabling legislation was passed and DMV program area experts, IT professionals, vendors, and interested business partners began collaborating to develop an online application that was easy to use and readily available to eligible teens and their parent/guardian sponsors. The customer-facing application was quickly created using Tyler Technology’s “Engagement Builder” online form tool and was integrated with DMV’s customer management and document management systems. DMV staff worked closely with driver education providers to ensure existing IT systems used by the schools to report driver education course completions could be utilized to redeem grant awards when enrolling grant recipients, allowing DMV to provide grant payments directly to the driver training schools via ACH or check. The popularity of the program was remarkable and saw 10,000 applicants within the first 6 weeks. Within the first 8 weeks, all $6 million had been awarded, and nearly $1.5 million in funding had been redeemed by driver training providers to enroll students in driver training programs.