Getting a new driver’s license in Mississippi can be a multiday ordeal with long lines at short-staffed license stations.

Some people are driving long distances to seek shorter lines in smaller towns.

The Mississippi Department of Public Safety is asking for more money to fill vacant jobs for driver’s license examiners.

But it is unclear whether legislators will fulfill that request as they put the final touches on the state budget for the coming year.

Maj. Ken Brown, the department’s director of driver services, says short staffing is only part of the problem.

He says the licensing process has become more time-consuming because of a federal requirement for increased security standards in issuing driver’s licenses and identification cards.