| Chapter 156 |
| 2017 -- H 5457 SUBSTITUTE A AS AMENDED Enacted 07/06/2017 |
| A N A C T |
| RELATING TO MOTOR AND OTHER VEHICLES -- OPERATORS' AND CHAUFFEURS' LICENSES |
| Introduced By: Representatives Shekarchi, Casimiro, Williams, Vella-Wilkinson, and |
| Date Introduced: February 09, 2017 |
| It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: |
| SECTION 1. Section 31-10-19 of the General Laws in Chapter 31-10 entitled "Operators' |
| and Chauffeurs' Licenses" is hereby amended to read as follows: |
| 31-10-19. Driver education -- Traffic safety education. |
| (a) The Community College of Rhode Island shall provide thirty-three (33) hours of |
| classroom instruction for applicants or prospective applicants, not more than twenty-one (21) |
| years of age, for a limited instruction permit or license. The instruction shall include eight (8) |
| hours, specifically for instruction on the effects of alcohol and drugs on a driver, and the |
| instruction shall be given by a person eligible for a teacher's certificate issued under the authority |
| of the state board of education of regents and which course of instruction shall be approved by |
| the state board of governors for higher education. In case of emergency, the President of the |
| Community College of Rhode Island may declare, when no certified instructor is available to |
| teach, that an individual eligible to teach at the Community College of Rhode Island who has |
| taken the required course of instruction in driver education, may provide driver education |
| instruction. All driver education programs shall include information concerning the Anatomical |
| Gift Act, chapter 18.6 of title 23, and information on donor cards pursuant to the applicable |
| provisions of chapter 18.6 of title 23. The state board of governors for higher education shall |
| ensure that each person properly certified and approved to instruct driver education courses shall |
| be given an equal opportunity for employment as an instructor within the driver education |
| program. No person teaching driver education under this section shall own, be employed by, or be |
| associated with a commercial driving school. |
| (b) Driver education instruction shall be available to any eligible resident applicant not |
| less than fifteen (15) years and ten (10) months of age. |
| (c) That the state shall also provide a separate program of instruction, as previously set |
| forth in this section, for special needs students whose individual education plan (IEP) indicates a |
| need for a separate program of instruction. |
| (d) The Community College of Rhode Island shall provide a driver training program for |
| physically handicapped drivers. The program shall instruct the physically handicapped driver in |
| the operation of adapted vehicles for the handicapped. The adapted vehicles are to be provided by |
| the handicapped individual. A physically handicapped person must be certified by a licensed |
| physician that he or she is physically handicapped and possesses sufficient potential to become a |
| competent motor vehicle operator. The Community College of Rhode Island shall establish a |
| tuition fee sufficient to cover the cost of the program. |
| (e) A tuition or enrollment fee shall be required to be paid by an eligible applicant in |
| accordance with rules and regulations of the board of governors for higher education state board |
| of education; provided, that personal checks shall be an acceptable method of payment of the |
| tuition or enrollment fee. The tuition or enrollment fee shall be deposited in a restricted receipt |
| account established to pay any and all costs associated with the driver education program at the |
| Community College of Rhode Island and administered by the Community College of Rhode |
| Island. |
| (f) The state board of governors for higher education is authorized to establish |
| administrative regulations to further implement this section. |
| (g) The Community College of Rhode Island shall establish tuition fees sufficient to |
| cover the cost of the program and the administration of the driver education program. All |
| positions established to implement the driver education program and funded in full by driver |
| education program fees shall be exempt from the full-time equivalency cap established in Article |
| 1 of the Appropriations Act, provided, however, that the board of governors shall report by June |
| 1, 2004, the actual number of filled positions funded exclusively by driver education fees to the |
| chairperson of the house finance committee, the chairperson of the senate finance committee, and |
| the state budget officer. |
| (h) Notwithstanding any other provisions of this section, the The state board of governors |
| for higher education shall provide for an optional and voluntary a required course of instruction |
| for the applicant's parent, guardian, or designee where applicable, on the content of the driver |
| education curriculum and the requirements for the graduated licensing for persons under the age |
| of eighteen (18) as contained in ยง 31-10-6. The course of instruction shall be made available in a |
| classroom setting at numerous locations, days, and times throughout the state, approved by the |
| Community College of Rhode Island. All costs and expenses associated with the course of |
| instruction, including, but not limited to, materials, instructors, and location fees shall be at the |
| sole expense of the program providers. Once approved by the state board of education, an online |
| course of instruction shall be made available to parent(s), guardian(s), or designee(s), where |
| applicable, to meet the requirements of this section. Under no circumstances shall any parent, |
| guardian, or designee, where applicable, be required to pay any cost or fee in association with |
| participation in the course required by this section. Upon completion of the course pursuant to |
| this section, no parent, guardian, or designee shall be required to take the course more than one |
| time in a five-(5) year (5) period. Parents, guardians, and designees with multiple children having |
| completed this course shall be deemed to have satisfied this requirement for each child in their |
| care applying for his or her license during the five-(5) year (5) period. Should AAA, or any other |
| provider, cease to provide the course and no other provider exists, the Community College of |
| Rhode Island shall not be required to provide the course of instruction nor shall it be required to |
| pay any of the costs associated therewith. Parents, guardians, and designees shall not be required |
| to complete the course prior to their child obtaining a license during any time at which a qualified |
| program under this section does not exist. The cCommunity cCollege of Rhode Island shall be |
| responsible to develop the course of instruction and content for the parent instruction, or may |
| approve a similar course of instruction, such as AAA's course, as equivalent to it, and shall |
| promulgate regulations and establish the appropriate method of providing the instruction. Should |
| a qualified program cease to exist for a period of time greater than six (6) months, the course of |
| instruction will not be required. |
| (i) Dangers of distracted driving, including, but not limited to, use of cell phones would |
| be included in this section curriculum and included in all testing as part of the state's driver's |
| license examination. |
| SECTION 2. This act shall take effect on January 1, 2018 become effective upon |
| approval of an online version of 6 the course by the board of education but no sooner than |
| January 1, 2018. |
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| LC001316/SUB A/2 |
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