Green light for B&W driver's licenses

ALBANY, NY (AP) - New York state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli has approved the Cuomo administration's contract for new driver's licenses that will have black-and-white photos produced by the highest bidder.

DiNapoli's approval paves the way for CBN Secure Technologies of Danville, Va., owned by Ottawa-based Canadian Bank Note, to produce the licenses. Its bid was $38 million over the current contractor, De La Rue, a British company with employees in the U.S.

De La Rue says Thursday it will resume a lawsuit that first challenged the bid as unfair. The company had wanted DiNapoli to order a new bidding process.

The company and another beaten out for the contract say the choice of CBN violated rules of last year's bidding. They claim the contract requires continued use of color photos they believe provide the most security.