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General Assembly Substitute Bill No. 6656
January Session, 2023
AN ACT CONCERNING THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE KNOWLEDGE
TEST AND ON-THE-ROAD SKILLS TEST FOR AN OPERATOR'S
LICENSE AND THE RECIPROCAL RECOGNITION OF DRIVER
TRAINING REQUIREMENTS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. Subsections (d) and (e) of section 14-36 of the general 1
statutes are repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof 2
(Effective October 1, 2023): 3
(d) (1) No motor vehicle operator's license shall be issued to any 4
applicant who is sixteen or seventeen years of age unless the applicant 5
has held a youth instruction permit and has satisfied the requirements 6
specified in this subsection. The applicant shall (A) submit to the 7
commissioner, in such manner as the commissioner shall direct, a 8
certificate of the successful completion (i) in a public secondary school, 9
a technical education and career school or a private secondary school 10
of a full course of study in motor vehicle operation prepared as 11
provided in section 14-36e, (ii) of training of similar nature provided 12
by a licensed drivers' school approved by the commissioner, or (iii) of 13
home training in accordance with subdivision (2) of this subsection, 14
including, in each case, or by a combination of such types of training, 15
successful completion of: Not less than forty clock hours of behind-the-16
wheel, on-the-road instruction for applicants to whom a youth 17 Substitute Bill No. 6656
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instruction permit is issued on or after August 1, 2008; (B) submit to 18
the commissioner, in such manner as the commissioner shall direct, a 19
certificate of the successful completion of a course of not less than eight 20
hours relative to safe driving practices, including a minimum of four 21
hours on the nature and the medical, biological and physiological 22
effects of alcohol and drugs and their impact on the operator of a 23
motor vehicle, the dangers associated with the operation of a motor 24
vehicle after the consumption of alcohol or drugs by the operator, the 25
problems of alcohol and drug abuse and the penalties for alcohol and 26
drug-related motor vehicle violations; and (C) pass an examination 27
which may include a comprehensive test as to knowledge of the laws 28
concerning motor vehicles and the rules of the road in addition to the 29
test required under subsection (c) of this section and shall include an 30
on-the-road skills test as prescribed by the commissioner. At the time 31
of application and examination for a motor vehicle operator's license, 32
an applicant sixteen or seventeen years of age shall have held a youth 33
instruction permit for not less than one hundred eighty days, except 34
that an applicant who presents a certificate under subparagraph (A)(i) 35
or subparagraph (A)(ii) of this subdivision shall have held a youth 36
instruction permit for not less than one hundred twenty days and an 37
applicant who is undergoing training and instruction by the driver 38
training unit for persons with disabilities in accordance with the 39
provisions of section 14-11b shall have held such permit for the period 40
of time required by said unit. The commissioner shall approve the 41
content of the safe driving instruction at drivers' schools, high schools 42
and other secondary schools. Subject to such standards and 43
requirements as the commissioner may impose, the commissioner may 44
authorize any drivers' school, licensed in good standing in accordance 45
with the provisions of section 14-69, or secondary school driver 46
education program authorized pursuant to the provisions of section 47
14-36e, to administer the comprehensive test as to knowledge of the 48
laws concerning motor vehicles and the rules of the road, required 49
pursuant to subparagraph (C) of this subdivision, as part of the safe 50
driving practices course required pursuant to subparagraph (B) of this 51
subdivision, and to certify to the commissioner, under oath, the results 52 Substitute Bill No. 6656
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of each such test administered. Such hours of instruction required by 53
this subdivision shall be included as part of or in addition to any 54
existing instruction programs. Any fee charged for the course required 55
under subparagraph (B) of this subdivision shall not exceed one 56
hundred fifty dollars. Any applicant sixteen or seventeen years of age 57
who, while a resident of another state, completed the course required 58
in subparagraph (A) of this subdivision, but did not complete the safe 59
driving course required in subparagraph (B) of this subdivision, shall 60
complete the safe driving course. The commissioner may waive any 61
requirement in this subdivision, except for that in subparagraph (C) of 62
this subdivision, in the case of an applicant sixteen or seventeen years 63
of age who holds a valid motor vehicle operator's license issued by any 64
other state, provided the commissioner is satisfied that the applicant 65
has received training and instruction of a similar nature. 66
(2) The commissioner may accept as evidence of sufficient training 67
under subparagraph (A) of subdivision (1) of this subsection home 68
training as evidenced by a written statement submitted to the 69
commissioner, in such manner as the commissioner directs. Such 70
statement shall be signed by the spouse of a married minor applicant, 71
or by a parent, grandparent, foster parent or legal guardian of an 72
applicant, and state that the applicant has obtained a youth instruction 73
permit and has successfully completed a driving course taught by the 74
person signing the statement, that the signer has had an operator's 75
license for at least four years preceding the date of the statement, and 76
that the signer has not had such license suspended by the 77
commissioner for at least four years preceding the date of the 78
statement. If the applicant has no spouse, parent, grandparent, foster 79
parent or guardian so qualified and available to give the instruction, 80
such statement may be signed by the applicant's stepparent, brother, 81
sister, uncle or aunt, by blood or marriage, provided the person 82
signing the statement is qualified. 83
(3) [If the commissioner requires a written test of any applicant 84
under this section, the test shall be given in English or Spanish at the 85 Substitute Bill No. 6656
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option of the applicant] The knowledge test for a class D motor vehicle 86
operator's license required under this section may be administered in 87
such form as the commissioner deems appropriate, including audio, 88
electronic or written testing. Such knowledge test shall be 89
administered, at the option of the applicant, in English, Spanish and at 90
least thirty-four other languages as prescribed by the commissioner, 91
provided the commissioner shall require [that] the applicant [shall] to 92
have sufficient understanding of English for the interpretation of 93
traffic control signs. In determining the other languages for the 94
administration of such knowledge test, the commissioner shall consult 95
with representatives of organizations that advocate on behalf of or 96
assist immigrants, refugees or other persons who are English language 97
learners and shall be responsive to the linguistic needs of the emerging 98
immigrant and refugee populations in the state. 99
(4) The commissioner may adopt regulations, in accordance with the 100
provisions of chapter 54, to implement the purposes of this subsection 101
concerning the requirements for behind-the-wheel, on-the-road 102
instruction, the content of safe driving instruction at drivers' schools, 103
high schools and other secondary schools, and the administration and 104
certification of required testing. 105
(e) (1) No motor vehicle operator's license shall be issued until (A) 106
the applicant signs and submits to the commissioner, in such manner 107
as the commissioner directs, an application under oath, or made 108
subject to penalties for false statement in accordance with section 53a-109
157b, and (B) the commissioner is satisfied that the applicant is sixteen 110
years of age or older and is a suitable person to receive the license. 111
(2) Except any applicant described in section 14-36m, an applicant 112
for a new motor vehicle operator's license shall submit with the 113
application a copy of such applicant's birth certificate or other prima 114
facie evidence, as determined by the commissioner, of date of birth and 115
evidence of identity. 116
(3) Before granting a license to any applicant who has not 117 Substitute Bill No. 6656
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previously held a Connecticut motor vehicle operator's license, or 118
whose Connecticut motor vehicle operator's license expired more than 119
two years prior to the application date, the commissioner shall require 120
the applicant to demonstrate personally to the commissioner, a deputy, 121
a motor vehicle inspector or an agent of the commissioner, in such 122
manner as the commissioner directs, that the applicant is a proper 123
person to operate motor vehicles of the class for which such applicant 124
has applied, has sufficient knowledge of the mechanism of the motor 125
vehicles to ensure their safe operation by him or her and has 126
satisfactory knowledge of the laws concerning motor vehicles and the 127
rules of the road. The knowledge test of an applicant for a class D 128
motor vehicle operator's license [may be administered in such form as 129
the commissioner deems appropriate, including audio, electronic or 130
written testing. Such knowledge test shall be administered in English, 131
Spanish or any language spoken at home by at least one per cent of the 132
state's population, according to statistics prepared by the United States 133
Census Bureau, based on the most recent decennial census. Each such 134
knowledge test] shall include a question concerning highway work 135
zone safety and the responsibilities of an operator of a motor vehicle 136
under section 14-212d. Each such knowledge test shall include not less 137
than one question concerning distracted driving, the use of mobile 138
telephones and electronic devices by motor vehicle operators or the 139
responsibilities of motor vehicle operators under section 14-296aa. If 140
any such applicant has held a license from a state, territory or 141
possession of the United States where a similar examination is 142
required, the commissioner may waive part or all of the examination. 143
If any such applicant is (A) a veteran who applies not later than two 144
years after the date of discharge from the military and who, prior to 145
such discharge, held a military operator's license for motor vehicles of 146
the same class as that for which such applicant has applied, or (B) a 147
member of the armed forces or the National Guard who currently 148
holds a military operator's license for motor vehicles of the same class 149
as that for which such applicant has applied, the commissioner shall 150
waive all of the examination, except in the case of a commercial motor 151
vehicle license, the commissioner shall waive the driving skills test for 152 Substitute Bill No. 6656
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such applicant and may, in such commissioner's discretion, waive the 153
knowledge test for such application, provided such applicant meets 154
the conditions set forth in 49 CFR 383.77, as amended from time to 155
time. For the purposes of this subsection, "veteran" and "armed forces" 156
have the same meanings as provided in section 27-103. When the 157
commissioner is satisfied as to the ability and competency of any 158
applicant, the commissioner may issue to such applicant a license, 159
either unlimited or containing such limitations as the commissioner 160
deems advisable, and specifying the class of motor vehicles which the 161
licensee is eligible to operate. 162
(4) If any applicant or operator license holder has any health 163
problem which might affect such person's ability to operate a motor 164
vehicle safely, the commissioner may require the applicant or license 165
holder to demonstrate personally or otherwise establish that, 166
notwithstanding such problem, such applicant or license holder is a 167
proper person to operate a motor vehicle, and the commissioner may 168
further require a certificate of such applicant's condition, signed by a 169
medical authority designated by the commissioner, which certificate 170
shall in all cases be treated as confidential by the commissioner. A 171
license, containing such limitation as the commissioner deems 172
advisable, may be issued or renewed in any case, but nothing in this 173
section shall be construed to prevent the commissioner from refusing a 174
license, either limited or unlimited, to any person or suspending a 175
license of a person whom the commissioner determines to be incapable 176
of safely operating a motor vehicle. Consistent with budgetary 177
allotments, each motor vehicle operator's license issued to or renewed 178
by a person who is deaf or hard of hearing shall, upon the request of 179
such person, indicate such impairment. Such person shall submit a 180
certificate stating such impairment, in such form as the commissioner 181
may require and signed by a licensed health care practitioner. 182
(5) The issuance of a motor vehicle operator's license to any 183
applicant who is the holder of a license issued by another state shall be 184
subject to the provisions of [sections 14-111c and] section 14-111k. 185 Substitute Bill No. 6656
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Sec. 2. (NEW) (Effective from passage) Not later than October 1, 2023, 186
the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles shall offer appointments for the 187
on-the-road skills test portion of the examination for a motor vehicle 188
operator's license at drivers' schools, licensed in accordance with the 189
provisions of section 14-69 of the general statutes. The on-the-road 190
skills test shall be administered by a motor vehicle inspector agent or 191
an agent of the commissioner and shall be made available to all 192
students of such schools who are otherwise eligible to take such test. 193
Sec. 3. (Effective from passage) On or before February 1, 2024, the 194
Commissioner of Motor Vehicles shall submit a report, in accordance 195
with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes, to the joint 196
standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of 197
matters relating to transportation, regarding the status of entering into 198
an agreement with Taiwan for the reciprocal recognition of driver 199
training requirements. 200
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 October 1, 2023 14-36(d) and (e)
Sec. 2 from passage New section
Sec. 3 from passage New section
TRA Joint Favorable Subst.