A state senator, along with newspaper owners and insurance companies, say a plan by the state to hire a company to create a Web site to make it quick and easy to retrieve driver's license information could make getting public information more expensive.

The state Taxation and Revenue Department last month issued a request for proposals for companies interested in creating an "electronic portal" for the Motor Vehicle Division. Whoever wins the state contract would be paid not by the state, but instead by fees paid by those seeking driver's license and vehicle information.

State Sen. Carroll Leavell, R-Jal, called a meeting at the Capitol on Tuesday with Taxation and Revenue officials and the industries involved.

"I certainly don't think this was intended to keep anyone from having access (to public information)," Leavell said. "I have some concerns about what the cost is and what the costs will be of the (MVD) reports."

Tom Turbett, executive director of the Independent Insurance Agents Association, said his agents currently pay $3.50 for each driver's license report. However, he said, in states that established portals, the price ranges from $10 to $19 per report.

Bob Trapp, publisher of The Rio Grande Sun, said, "The New Mexico Press Association and the Foundation for Open Government feel blind-sided by this." Trapp said the proposal will lead to a situation in which "the state takes public records, which the public should have free access to, and literally sells them to the public."

Taxation and Revenue Secretary Rick Homans said the proposal has nothing to do with the Public Records Act, but "has everything to do with confidentiality and privacy."

After the meeting, Homans told a reporter that the new contract is being proposed to ensure the state follows federal law about not releasing certain information about individuals. He said anyone can request information from the division, though he admitted the wait time to get information can be three days for simple requests and 15 days for more complex information requests.

Homans likened having a private company charging money for quick access to MVD records to companies such as MVD Express, which, for a fee, allows people seeking driver's licenses to skip the long lines at the state MVD offices.

Currently five companies have access to MVD records, which they sell to clients. Those contracts expire in a few months, Homans said.

According to the Web site of the state Purchasing Division, there are 92,154 inquiries a month for full driver's license information and more than 300,000 inquiries a month for vehicle information.

Contact Steve Terrell at 986-3037 or sterrell@sfnewmexican.com. Read his political blog at roundhouseroundup.com.