| Chapter 048 |
| 2025 -- H 5882 SUBSTITUTE A Enacted 06/13/2025 |
| A N A C T |
| RELATING TO MOTOR AND OTHER VEHICLES -- OPERATORS' AND CHAUFFEURS' LICENSES |
Introduced By: Representatives Cortvriend, Solomon, Donovan, McGaw, Knight, Corvese, Spears, Fogarty, Finkelman, and Morales |
| Date Introduced: February 28, 2025 |
| It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: |
| SECTION 1. Section 31-10-5 of the General Laws in Chapter 31-10 entitled "Operators’ |
| and Chauffeurs’ Licenses" is hereby amended to read as follows: |
| 31-10-5. Special restrictions for drivers for compensation. |
| (a) No person who is under the age of twenty-one (21) years shall drive any school bus |
| transporting school children or any motor vehicle when in use for the transportation of persons or |
| property for compensation nor in either event until he or shethe person has been licensed as a |
| chauffeur for either purpose and the license so indicates. Colleges and universities shall be exempt |
| from the requirement for a public plate for vehicles used to shuttle only students or employees to |
| various points within the college or university campus or if a college or university owned or leased |
| vehicle is used for the occasional transportation of college or university employees or students |
| either on or off campus provided that the vehicle is operated by a college or university employee |
| possessing a valid Rhode Island chauffeur’s license or a commercial drivers license with a |
| passenger endorsement. Provided, however, that the college or university shall operate the shuttle |
| service and there shall be no specific charge for the transportation of students or employees. The |
| division of motor vehicles shall not issue a chauffeur’s license for either purpose unless the |
| applicant has had at least one year of driving experience prior to the application, and has filed with |
| the division of motor vehicles one or more certificates signed by a total of at least three (3) |
| responsible people to whom he or shethe applicant is well known certifying to the applicant’s |
| good character and habits and the administrator of the division of motor vehicles is fully satisfied |
| as to the applicant’s competency and fitness to be so employed. |
| (b) In addition to the requirements provided in subsection (a) of this section, any person |
| (hereinafter sometimes referred to as an "applicant") attempting to obtain a chauffeur’s license to |
| drive a school bus transporting school children shall, prior to being certified: |
| (1) Successfully complete a ten-(10)hour (10) school bus driver training course conducted |
| by the department of revenue or the department of revenue’s designee and file a certificate of |
| successful completion with the division of motor vehicles. The curriculum of that course and the |
| accreditation of courses offered shall be pursuant to rules and regulations promulgated by the |
| division of motor vehicles. Provided, for an applicant who holds a valid commercial driver’s |
| license, the course shall be abbreviated and reduced in time and shall focus on the specific Rhode |
| Island requirements for school bus drivers; |
| (2) Pass a written examination prepared and given by the department of revenue or the |
| department of revenue’s designee.; and |
| (3) Pass a driving test in a school bus of a like type which that person will be employed to |
| drive. The test will be prepared and given by the department of revenue. |
| (c) Prior to issuing a certificate to any person who intends to drive a school bus, the division |
| of motor vehicles shall conduct a search of that person’s motor vehicle record. Any violation of |
| any safety regulation or conviction of any motor vehicle law in this or any other state shall be |
| grounds for refusing to issue a certificate. |
| 31-10-5.1. School bus driver annual training. |
| (a) The department of revenue shall promulgate any rules and regulations that it deems |
| necessary to ensure that a ten-hour (10) training course is provided for all new school bus drivers |
| (hereinafter sometimes referred to as an "applicant") and a three-hour (3) retraining course is |
| provided to all renewal applicants on at least a yearly basis. Provided, that for an applicant who |
| holds a valid commercial driver’s license, the ten-(10)hour (10) training course shall be abbreviated |
| and reduced in time and shall focus on the specific Rhode Island requirements for school bus |
| drivers. |
| (b) The training shall include, but not be limited to, defensive driving, the National |
| Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s School Bus Driver In-Service Series, and instruction in |
| all state laws, rules, and regulations relating to school buses and school bus safety. |
| (c) Prior to any renewal of any certificate of a school bus driver, the division of motor |
| vehicles shall require proof of the renewal applicant’s having successfully completed the annual |
| retraining as provided in this section. Every ten (10) years that proof shall include the passing of a |
| written examination prepared by the department of revenue, or the department of revenue’s |
| designee, and conducted by employees of the department. |
| SECTION 2. Chapter 31-10 of the General Laws entitled "Operators’ and Chauffeurs’ |
| Licenses" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following section: |
| 31-10-5.2. Temporary school bus driver license for out-of-state holders of commercial |
| driver’s license. |
| (a) A person who is a resident of a state which borders Rhode Island, and which person |
| possesses a valid commercial driver’s license and a license to operate a school bus in the person's |
| state of residence, may apply for a temporary school bus certificate or pupil transportation |
| certificate (hereinafter sometimes referred to as a “temporary school bus driver license”) in Rhode |
| Island, as follows: |
| (1) The person is a resident of the border state; |
| (2) The person brings to any branch of the division of motor vehicles (the “division”) an |
| original or certified copy of the following documents which pertain to the person: |
| (i) A current valid school bus driver physical; |
| (ii) A valid in-force commercial driver’s license; |
| (iii) A valid in-force school bus operator license from the state wherein they are a resident; |
| (iv) Proof of residency in the bordering state; |
| (v) Proof of United States’ citizenship or lawful permanent residencyresidence; |
| (vi) A social security card; and |
| (vii) A letter from a local school bus provider, contractor, or school district,indicating that |
| the person will be employed as a school bus driver by the issuer of the letter if the person obtains |
| their temporary school bus driver license pursuant to this section. |
| (3) In the event the person brings in the documents listed in this subsection, the division of |
| motor vehicles shall review the documents. If the division determines the documents appear to be |
| in order, the division may issue to the person a temporary school bus driver license under this |
| section. In reviewing the documents, for purposes of this section, the division need only verify that |
| the documents on their face appear valid; provided that, the division may refuse to issue the |
| temporary school bus driver license if the division finds irregularities in the documents or has other |
| reason to believe the temporary school bus driver license should not be issued to the applicant. |
| (b)(1) A temporary school bus driver license issued pursuant to this section shall be valid |
| for and expire one hundred twenty (120) days after its date of issuance. |
| (2) Within that one hundred twenty-day (120) period, the person may undertake the ten- |
| (10)hour (10) training course provided for in §§ 31-10-5 and 31-10-5.1. If the person undertakes |
| and completes the training course, and submits proof of such completion to the division of motor |
| vehicles before expiration of the temporary school bus driver license, and provided the person |
| otherwise meets the requirements of this chapter, the person shall be issued a full school bus |
| certificate or pupil transportation certificate, and shall be subject to the same rules and conditions |
| as any holder of such a license or certificate. |
| (3) If a person operating under a temporary school bus certificate or pupil transportation |
| certificate does not either complete the training required or fails to submit proof of their training as |
| provided under this chapter, within the one hundred twenty-day (120) period, the person’s |
| temporary school bus driver license shall immediately be cancelled. The division of motor vehicles |
| shall mail that person a written cancellation notice of their Rhode Island temporary school bus |
| driver license. |
| (c) Temporary school bus driver licenses issued under this section shall not be used to |
| influence or interfere with active labor disputes, including, but not limited to, strikes or work |
| stoppages. |
| SECTION 3. This act shall take effect upon passage. |
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| LC000922/SUB A |
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