Req. No. 9610 Page 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 STATE OF OKLAHOMA 2nd Session of the 58th Legislature (2022) HOUSE BILL 3368 By: Roberts (Eric) AS INTRODUCED An Act relating to driver licenses; amending 47 O.S. 2021, Section 6-110, which relates to examination of applicants; requiring Department of Public Safety accept certain exam results from other states; and providing an effective date. BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA: SECTION 1. AMENDATORY 47 O.S. 2021, Section 6 -110, is amended to read as follows: Section 6-110. A. 1. The Department of Public Safety shall establish procedures to ensure every applicant for an original Class A, B, C or D license and for any endorse ments thereon is examined by the Department, or an approved written examination proctor , except as otherwise provided in Section 6-101 et seq. of this titl e or as provided in paragraph 2 of t his subsection or in subsections D and E of this section. The Department is authorized to approve and enter into agreements with local school districts, the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education, or ins titutions of higher education to act as approved written examination proctors with Req. No. 9610 Page 2 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 regard to any written examination required by this section. The examination shall include a test of the a pplicant's: a. eyesight, b. ability to read and understand highwa y signs regulating, warning and direct ing traffic, c. knowledge of the traffic laws of this state including a portion on bicycle and motorcycle safe ty, and d. ability, by actual demonstration, to exercise ordinary and reasonable control in the operation of a motor vehicle. The actual demonst ration shall be conducted in the type of motor vehicle for the cl ass of driver license being applied for. The Department of Public Safety may create a knowledge test that may be taken on the Internet by an applicant applying for a Class D license. Any licensee seeking to apply for a driver license of another class which is not covered by the licensee 's current driver license shall be considered an applicant for an origin al license for that class. 2. The Department of Public Safety shall have the authority to waive the requirement of any part of the examination required in paragraph 1 of this subsection for those ap plicants whose driving record meets the standards set by the Department of Public Safety and surrender either any of the following: Req. No. 9610 Page 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 a. a valid unexpired driver license issued by any state or country for the same ty pe or types of vehicles, or b. an expired driver license that: (1) is not expired more than six (6) mo nths past the expiration date listed on the driver license, and (2) is not a Class A, B o r C commercial driver license or commercial driver license permit , or c. suitable proof of passing any part of an examination administered for a Class D driver license, or its equivalent, in another state. 3. The Department of Public Safety shall accept skills test results from another state for Class A, B or C license applicants who have successfully completed commercial motor vehicle driver training in that state and successfully passed the skills test in that state; provided, the Department shall not accept skills test results from another state when th e applicant has not successfully completed commercial motor vehicle driver training in that state. Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibi t the Department of Public Safety from administering the skills test to any applicant who has successfu lly completed commercial vehicle driver training in another state. 4. All applicants requiring a hazardous materials endorsement shall be required, for the renewal of the endorsement, to successfully complete the examination and to submit to a security Req. No. 9610 Page 4 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 threat assessment performed by the Transportation Security Administration of the Department of Homeland Security as required by and pursuant to 49 C.F.R., Part 1572, which shall be used to determine whether the applicant is eligible for renewal of the endorsement pursuant to federal law and regulation. 5. The Department of Public Safety, or an approved written examination proctor, shall give the complete ex amination as provided for in this section with in thirty (30) days from the date the application is received, and the examination shall be given at a location within one hundred (100) miles of the residence of the applicant. The Department of Public Safety shall make every effort to make the examinati on locations and times convenient for applicants. The Department of Public Safety shall consider giving the examination at various school sites if the district board of education for the district in which the site is located agrees and if economically feasible and practicable. B. Any person holding a valid Okl ahoma Class D license or provisional driver license pursuant to Section 6-212 of this title and applying for a Class A, B or C commercial license shall b e required to successfully complete all examin ations as required for the specified class. Failure to s ubmit to the Department of Public Safety federally required medical certification information pursuant to 49 C.F.R., Part 391.41 et seq. shall result in an automatic downgrade of a commercial license to a Class D license. Provided, Req. No. 9610 Page 5 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 however, once the requi red medical certification information has been received by the Department of Public Safety, the license shall be reinstated to the classification of the commercial license prior to the downgrade and the holder of such a license shall not be required to reapply. C. Except as provided in subsection E of Section 6-101 of this title, any person holding a valid Oklahoma Class A, B or C commercial license shall , upon time for renewal thereof, be entitled to a Class D license without any type of testing or examin ation, except for any endorsements thereon as otherwise provided for by Section 6-110.1 of this title. D. 1. Any certified driver education instructor who is currently an operator or an employee of a commercial driver training school in this state or any driver education instructor employed by any school district in this state shall be eligible to apply to be a designated examiner of the Department of Pu blic Safety for the purposes of administering the Class D driving skills portion of the Oklahoma driving examination to any person who has been issued a learner permit. 2. The Department of Public Safety shall adopt a curriculum of required courses and training to be offered to applicants who are qualified to apply to be a designated examiner. The courses and training for certification shall meet the same standards as requir ed for driver examiners of the Department of Public Safety. Req. No. 9610 Page 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 3. Each person appl ying to be a designated examiner shall be required to pay an ini tial designated examiner certification fe e of One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00). Upon successful completion of training prescribed by paragraph 2 of this subsection, the person shall be required to pay an annual designated examiner certification fee of Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00). If an appli cant for the designated examiner program is employed by an Oklahoma pub lic school system that offers d river education, and he or she administers the skills test only to students enrolled in a public school driver education program, the certification fee ma y be waived by the Department of Public Safety. Each designated examin er certification shall expire on the last day of the calendar year and may be re newed upon application to the Department of Public Safety. The designated examiner certification fees co llected by the Department of Public Safety pursuant to this subsection shall be deposited to the credi t of the Department of Public Safety Restricted R evolving Fund to be used for the purposes of this subsection. N o designated examiner certification fee shall be refunded in the event that certification is denied, suspended o r revoked. 4. A designated exa miner may charge a fee for each Class D driving skills examination given, whether the person being examined passes or fails the examination. 5. The Department of Public Safety shall conduct an annual complete nationwide crim inal history background check o n each Req. No. 9610 Page 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 designated examiner and a complete nationw ide criminal history background check on each designated examine r applicant. The fees for the background check shall be borne by the designated examiner or designated examiner applicant. 6. The Department of Public Safety shall promulgate rules to implement and administer the provisions of this subsection. E. 1. Upon application and approval of the C ommissioner of Public Safety, any public or private commercial truck driving school that has or maintains a program instructing students for a Class A, B or C license, public transit agency or state, county or municipal government agency in this state shall be authorized to hire or employ designated examiners approved by the Department of Public Safety to be third-party examiners of the Class A, B or C driving skills portion of the Oklahoma driving examination. All desig nated examiners must successfully have completed the courses and traini ng as outlined in paragraph 2 of th is subsection. The Department of Public Safety shall be required to approve at least one public transit agency that has or maintains a program instru cting students for a Class A, B or C license to hire or employ third-party examiners pursuant to this sect ion. It shall be permissible for any public transit agency operating in the State of Oklahoma to utilize the third-party examiners hired or employed by a public transit agency approved by the Department. Req. No. 9610 Page 8 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 2. The Department of Public Safety shall adopt a c urriculum of required courses and training to be offered to third-party examiners. The courses and training for certification shall meet the same standards as required for commercial driver examiners of the Department of Public Safety. 3. The Department of Public Safety shall require each third - party examiner applicant and commercial school driver education instructor applicant to submit to an electro nic national criminal history record check pursuant to Section 150.9 of Title 74 of the Oklahoma Statutes. On or before December 1, 2022, the Departmen t shall require each third-party examiner or commercial school driver education instructor to submit to an electronic national criminal history record check pursuant to Section 150.9 of Title 74 of the Oklahoma Statutes. The fees for the background check shall be borne by the third-party examiner, third -party examiner applicant, commercial school driver edu cation instructor or commercial school driver education instructor applicant. F. The Department of Public Safety shall promulgate rules no later than December 15, 2021, to: 1. Implement and administer the provisions of this section based on requirements set forth in Section 383.75 of Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regu lations; Req. No. 9610 Page 9 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 2. Establish a process t o inform any school, public transit agency, examiner, or state, county or municipal government agency , who has been denied, within forty -five (45) days from the denial; 3. Create an appeal process for any school, public transit agency, examiner, or state, county or municipal government agency denied; and 4. If the initial application for approval was denied, limit the number of times an individual sc hool, public transit agency, individual examiner applicant, or state, county or municipal government agency may reapply in a calendar year to tw o reapplications. SECTION 2. This act shall become effective November 1, 2022. 58-2-9610 JBH 01/10/22