MOTOR AND OTHER VEHICLES -- OPERATORS AND CHAUFFEURS LICENSES, the official text

H8603 2026 -- H 8603 ======== LC006527 ======== STATE OF RHODE ISLAND IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2026 ____________ A N A C T RELATING TO MOTOR AND OTHER VEHICLES -- OPERATORS AND CHAUFFEURS LICENSES Introduced By: Representatives Casimiro, Giraldo, McNamara, Read, Cotter, Donovan, Shallcross Smith, Spears, and Hopkins Date Introduced: May 29, 2026 Referred To: House Finance It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: 1 SECTION 1. Section 31-10-19 of the General Laws in Chapter 31-10 entitled Operators’ 2 and Chauffeurs’ Licenses is hereby amended to read as follows: 3 31-10-19. Driver education — Traffic safety education. [Effective until contingency in 4 P.L. 2017, ch. 156 and 160 is met.] 5 (a) The community college of Rhode Island shall provide thirty-three (33) hours of 6 classroom instruction for applicants or prospective applicants, not more than twenty-one (21) years 7 of age for a limited instruction permit or license. The instruction shall include eight (8) hours, 8 specifically for instruction on the effects of alcohol and drugs on a driver, and the instruction shall 9 be given by a person eligible for a teacher’s certificate issued under the authority of the state board 10 of regents and which course of instruction shall be approved by the board of governors for higher 11 education. In case of emergency, the president of the community college of Rhode Island may 12 declare, when no certified instructor is available to teach, an individual eligible to teach at the 13 community college of Rhode Island who has taken the required course of instruction in driver 14 education, may provide driver education instruction. All driver education programs shall include 15 information concerning the Revised Uniform Anatomical Gift Act, chapter 18.6.1 of title 23, and 16 information on donor cards pursuant to the applicable provisions of chapter 18.6.1 of title 23. The 17 board of governors for higher education shall ensure that each person properly certified and 18 approved to instruct driver education courses shall be given an equal opportunity for employment 1 as an instructor within the driver education program. No person teaching driver education under 2 this section shall own, be employed by, or be associated with a commercial driving school. 3 (b) Driver education instruction shall be available to any eligible resident applicant not less 4 than fifteen (15) years and ten (10) months of age. 5 (c) That the state shall also provide a separate program of instruction, as previously set 6 forth in this section, for special needs students whose individual education plan (IEP) indicates a 7 need for a separate program of instruction. 8 (d) The community college of Rhode Island shall provide a driver training program for 9 physically handicapped drivers. The program shall instruct the physically handicapped driver in 10 the operation of adapted vehicles for the handicapped. The adapted vehicles are to be provided by 11 the handicapped individual. A physically handicapped person must be certified by a licensed 12 physician that he or she is physically handicapped and possesses sufficient potential to become a 13 competent motor vehicle operator. The community college of Rhode Island shall establish a tuition 14 fee sufficient to cover the cost of the program. 15 (e) A tuition or enrollment fee shall be required to be paid by an eligible applicant , except, 16 upon a request and payment of the tuition or enrollment fee from the department of children, youth 17 and families, for any eligible person receiving foster caregiving in foster and adoptive homes as 18 defined in § 42-72.1-2, in accordance with rules and regulations of the board of governors for higher 19 education; provided, that personal checks shall be an acceptable method of payment of the tuition 20 or enrollment fee. The tuition or enrollment fee shall be deposited in a restricted receipt account 21 established to pay any and all costs associated with the driver education program at the community 22 college of Rhode Island and administered by the community college of Rhode Island. Provided 23 further, any person receiving foster caregiving in foster and adoptive homes as defined in § 42- 24 72.1-2, shall be eligible for a fee waiver for driver s education classes at the community college of 25 Rhode Island. 26 (f) The board of governors for higher education is authorized to establish administrative 27 regulations to further implement this section. 28 (g) The community college of Rhode Island shall establish tuition fees sufficient to cover 29 the cost of the program and the administration of the driver education program. All positions 30 established to implement the driver education program and funded in full by driver education 31 program fees shall be exempt from the full-time equivalency cap established in Article 1 of the 32 Appropriations Act, provided, however, that the board of governors shall report by June 1, 2004, 33 the actual number of filled positions funded exclusively by driver education fees to the chairperson 34 of the house finance committee, the chairperson of the senate finance committee, and the state LC006527 - Page 2 of 7 1 budget officer. 2 (h) The board of governors for higher education shall provide for an optional and voluntary 3 course of instruction for the applicant’s parent, guardian, or designee where applicable, on the 4 content of the driver education curriculum and the requirements for the graduated licensing for 5 persons under the age of eighteen (18) as contained in § 31-10-6. The community college of Rhode 6 Island shall be responsible to develop the course of instruction and content for the parent 7 instruction, or may approve a similar course of instruction, such as AAA’s course, as equivalent to 8 it, and shall promulgate regulations and establish the appropriate method of providing the 9 instruction. 10 (i) Dangers of distracted driving, including, but not limited to, use of cell phones would be 11 included in this section curriculum and included in all testing as part of the state’s driver’s license 12 examination. 13 (j) Included in the classroom instruction shall be curriculum related to the dangers of 14 marijuana-impaired driving such as the course provided by AAA or similar equivalent. 15 (k) The curriculum required by subsection (j) of this section shall become effective upon 16 the effective date of this subsection [June 19, 2023] and shall only be implemented upon the 17 approval of the course by the state board of education. 18 31-10-19. Driver education — Traffic safety education. [Effective when contingency 19 in P.L. 2017, ch. 156 and 160 is met.] 20 (a) The community college of Rhode Island shall provide thirty-three (33) hours of 21 classroom instruction for applicants or prospective applicants, not more than twenty-one (21) years 22 of age, for a limited-instruction permit or license. The instruction shall include eight (8) hours, 23 specifically for instruction on the effects of alcohol and drugs on a driver, and the instruction shall 24 be given by a person eligible for a teacher’s certificate issued under the authority of the state board 25 of education and which course of instruction shall be approved by the state board of education. In 26 case of emergency, the president of the community college of Rhode Island may declare, when no 27 certified instructor is available to teach, that an individual eligible to teach at the community college 28 of Rhode Island, who has taken the required course of instruction in driver education, may provide 29 driver education instruction. All driver education programs shall include information concerning 30 the Revised Uniform Anatomical Gift Act, chapter 18.6.1 of title 23, and information on donor 31 cards pursuant to the applicable provisions of chapter 18.6.1 of title 23. The state board of education 32 shall ensure that each person properly certified and approved to instruct driver education courses 33 shall be given an equal opportunity for employment as an instructor within the driver education 34 program. No person teaching driver education under this section shall own, be employed by, or be LC006527 - Page 3 of 7 1 associated with a commercial driving school. 2 (b) Driver education instruction shall be available to any eligible resident applicant not less 3 than fifteen (15) years and ten (10) months of age. 4 (c) That the state shall also provide a separate program of instruction, as previously set 5 forth in this section, for special needs students whose individual education plan (IEP) indicates a 6 need for a separate program of instruction. 7 (d) The community college of Rhode Island shall provide a driver training program for 8 physically handicapped drivers. The program shall instruct the physically handicapped driver in 9 the operation of adapted vehicles for the handicapped. The adapted vehicles are to be provided by 10 the handicapped individual. A physically handicapped person must be certified by a licensed 11 physician that he or she is physically handicapped and possesses sufficient potential to become a 12 competent motor vehicle operator. The community college of Rhode Island shall establish a tuition 13 fee sufficient to cover the cost of the program. 14 (e) A tuition or enrollment fee shall be required to be paid by an eligible applicant , except, 15 upon a request and payment of the tuition or enrollment fee from the department of children, youth 16 and families, for any eligible person receiving foster caregiving in foster and adoptive homes as 17 defined in § 42-72.1-2, in accordance with rules and regulations of the state board of education; 18 provided, that personal checks shall be an acceptable method of payment of the tuition or 19 enrollment fee. The tuition or enrollment fee shall be deposited in a restricted receipt account 20 established to pay any and all costs associated with the driver education program at the community 21 college of Rhode Island and administered by the community college of Rhode Island. Provided 22 further, any person receiving foster caregiving in foster and adoptive homes as defined in § 42- 23 72.1-2, shall be eligible for a fee waiver for driver s education classes at the community college of 24 Rhode Island. 25 (f) The state board of education is authorized to establish administrative regulations to 26 further implement this section. 27 (g) The community college of Rhode Island shall establish tuition fees sufficient to cover 28 the cost of the program and the administration of the driver education program. All positions 29 established to implement the driver education program and funded in full by driver education 30 program fees shall be exempt from the full-time equivalency cap established in Article 1 of the 31 Appropriations Act, provided, however, that the board of governors shall report by June 1, 2004, 32 the actual number of filled positions funded exclusively by driver education fees to the chairperson 33 of the house finance committee, the chairperson of the senate finance committee, and the state 34 budget officer. LC006527 - Page 4 of 7 1 (h) Notwithstanding any other provisions of this section, the state board of education shall 2 provide for a required course of instruction for the applicant’s parent, guardian, or designee where 3 applicable, on the content of the driver education curriculum and the requirements for the graduated 4 licensing for persons under the age of eighteen (18) as contained in § 31-10-6. The course of 5 instruction shall be made available in a classroom setting at numerous locations, days, and times 6 throughout the state, approved by the community college of Rhode Island. All costs and expenses 7 associated with the course of instruction, including, but not limited to, materials, instructors, and 8 location fees shall be at the sole expense of the program providers. Once approved by the state 9 board of education, an online course of instruction shall be made available to parent(s), guardian(s), 10 or designee(s), where applicable, to meet the requirements of this section. Under no circumstances 11 shall any parent, guardian, or designee, where applicable, be required to pay any cost or fee in 12 association with participation in the course required by this section. Upon completion of the course 13 pursuant to this section, no parent, guardian, or designee shall be required to take the course more 14 than one time in a five-year (5) period. Parents, guardians, and designees with multiple children 15 having completed this course shall be deemed to have satisfied this requirement for each child in 16 their care applying for his or her license during the five-year (5) period. Should AAA or any other 17 provider cease to provide the course and no other provider exists, the community college of Rhode 18 Island shall not be required to provide the course of instruction nor shall it be required to pay any 19 of the costs associated therewith. Parents, guardians, and designees shall not be required to 20 complete the course prior to their child obtaining a license during any time at which a qualified 21 program under this section does not exist. The community college of Rhode Island shall be 22 responsible to develop the course of instruction and content for the parent instruction, or may 23 approve a similar course of instruction, such as AAA’s course, as equivalent to it, and shall 24 promulgate regulations and establish the appropriate method of providing the instruction. Should a 25 qualified program cease to exist for a period of time greater than six (6) months, the course of 26 instruction will not be required. 27 (i) Dangers of distracted driving, including, but not limited to, use of cell phones would be 28 included in this section curriculum and included in all testing as part of the state’s driver’s license 29 examination. 30 (j) Included in the classroom instruction shall be curriculum related to the dangers of 31 marijuana-impaired driving such as the course provided by AAA or similar equivalent. 32 (k) The curriculum required by subsection (j) of this section shall become effective upon 33 the effective date of this subsection [June 19, 2023] and shall only be implemented upon the 34 approval of the course by the state board of education. LC006527 - Page 5 of 7 1 SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage. ======== LC006527 ======== LC006527 - Page 6 of 7 EXPLANATION BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL OF A N A C T RELATING TO MOTOR AND OTHER VEHICLES -- OPERATORS AND CHAUFFEURS LICENSES *** 1 This act would exempt an individual in foster or adoptive homes from the fee associated 2 with drivers education classes at the community college of Rhode Island. 3 This act would take effect upon passage. ======== LC006527 ======== LC006527 - Page 7 of 7