Chapter 160
2017 -- S 0555 SUBSTITUTE A
Enacted 07/06/2017

A N   A C T
RELATING TO MOTOR AND OTHER VEHICLES -- OPERATORS' AND CHAUFFEURS' LICENSES

Introduced By: Senators Gallo, Archambault, Lynch Prata, and Felag
Date Introduced: March 15, 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 become effective upon approval of an online version of the
course by the board of education but no sooner than January 1, 2018.
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