STATEMENT TO

SENATE COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR

SENATE, No. 318

with Senate Floor Amendments

(Proposed By Senator SINGER)

ADOPTED: APRIL 27, 1997

      These Senate amendments make the following changes in the Senate Committee Substitute for Senate 318, which creates a graduated driver licensing program:

●    Eliminate the proposed statutory requirement of mandatory classroom driver education for persons applying for special learner's permits or examination permits.

●    Authorize the addition of 20 questions to the written driver's license examination.

●    Require an applicant for a provisional license to pass a road test.

●    Remove the requirement that provisional licensees age 21 or over be subject to passenger and nighttime driving restrictions.

●    Remove the requirement that holders of examination permits age 21 or over be subject to supervision, passenger and nighttime driving restrictions.

●    Reduce the additional permit fee from $20 to $5. Eliminate funding for classroom driver education courses.

●    Make employers and religious leaders responsible for issuing written waivers to the holders of examination permits and to provisional licensees who qualify for exemption from nighttime driving restrictions because of bona fide employment or religion-related activity.

●    Clarify role of the DMV in offering hearings to examination and special learner's permit holders when the DMV proposes to suspend their permits and limits the discretion of the DMV director for setting their suspension terms and fine amounts. This is designed to reduce hearings and, therefore, administrative costs. Suspensions and postponements for the motor vehicle convictions of permit holders would be a fixed 90-day period rather than a minimum of 90 days; suspensions for convictions for drug or alcohol-related offenses unrelated to the operation of motor vehicles are reduced to a fixed period of six months. The fine for violating the conditions of the permit is downgraded from a range of $100 to $500 to a flat $100. For provisional licensees, the term of suspension is reduced to a flat three months from a minimum of three months and a maximum of six months.