2025 -- H 5143
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LC000188
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S T A T E O F R H O D E I S L A N D
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2025
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A N A C T
RELATING TO MOTOR AN D OTHER VEHICLES -- OPERATORS' AND CHAUF FEURS'
LICENSES
Introduced By: Representatives Casimiro, Noret, and Read
Date Introduced: January 22, 2025
Referred To: House Finance
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’ 1
and Chauffeurs’ Licenses" is hereby amended to read as follows: 2
31-10-19. Driver education — Traffic safety education. [Effective until contingency in 3
P.L. 2017, ch. 156 and 160 is met.] 4
(a) The community college of Rhode Island shall provide thirty-three (33) hours of 5
classroom instruction for applicants or prospective applicants, not more than twenty-one (21) years 6
of age for a limited instruction permit or license. The instruction shall include eight (8) hours, 7
specifically for instruction on the effects of alcohol and drugs on a driver, and the instruction shall 8
be given by a person eligible for a teacher’s certificate issued under the authority of the state board 9
of regents and which course of instruction shall be approved by the board of governors for higher 10
education. In case of emergency, the president of the community college of Rhode Island may 11
declare, when no certified instructor is available to teach, an individual eligible to teach at the 12
community college of Rhode Island who has taken the required course of instruction in driver 13
education, may provide driver education instruction. All driver education programs shall include 14
information concerning the Revised Uniform Anatomical Gift Act, chapter 18.6.1 of title 23, and 15
information on donor cards pursuant to the applicable provisions of chapter 18.6.1 of title 23. The 16
board of governors for higher education shall ensure that each person properly certified and 17
approved to instruct driver education courses shall be given an equal opportunity for employment 18
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as an instructor within the driver education program. No person teaching driver education under 1
this section shall own, be employed by, or be 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 in 15
accordance with rules and regulations of the board of governors for higher education; provided, 16
that personal checks shall be an acceptable method of payment of the tuition or enrollment fee. The 17
tuition or enrollment fee shall be deposited in a restricted receipt account established to pay any 18
and all costs associated with the driver education program at the community college of Rhode 19
Island and administered by the community college of Rhode Island. Provided further, any person 20
receiving foster caregiving in foster and adoptive homes as defined in § 42-72.1-2, shall be eligible 21
for a fee waiver for driver's education classes at the community college of Rhode Island. 22
(f) The board of governors for higher education is authorized to establish administrative 23
regulations to further implement this section. 24
(g) The community college of Rhode Island shall establish tuition fees sufficient to cover 25
the cost of the program and the administration of the driver education program. All positions 26
established to implement the driver education program and funded in full by driver education 27
program fees shall be exempt from the full-time equivalency cap established in Article 1 of the 28
Appropriations Act, provided, however, that the board of governors shall report by June 1, 2004, 29
the actual number of filled positions funded exclusively by driver education fees to the chairperson 30
of the house finance committee, the chairperson of the senate finance committee, and the state 31
budget officer. 32
(h) The board of governors for higher education shall provide for an optional and voluntary 33
course of instruction for the applicant’s parent, guardian, or designee where applicable, on the 34
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content of the driver education curriculum and the requirements for the graduated licensing for 1
persons under the age of eighteen (18) as contained in § 31-10-6. The community college of Rhode 2
Island shall be responsible to develop the course of instruction and content for the parent 3
instruction, or may approve a similar course of instruction, such as AAA’s course, as equivalent to 4
it, and shall promulgate regulations and establish the appropriate method of providing the 5
instruction. 6
(i) Dangers of distracted driving, including, but not limited to, use of cell phones would be 7
included in this section curriculum and included in all testing as part of the state’s driver’s license 8
examination. 9
(j) Included in the classroom instruction shall be curriculum related to the dangers of 10
marijuana-impaired driving such as the course provided by AAA or similar equivalent. 11
(k) The curriculum required by subsection (j) of this section shall become effective upon 12
the effective date of this subsection [June 19, 2023] and shall only be implemented upon the 13
approval of the course by the state board of education. 14
31-10-19. Driver education — Traffic safety education. [Effective when contingency 15
in P.L. 2017, ch. 156 and 160 is met.] 16
(a) The community college of Rhode Island shall provide thirty-three (33) hours of 17
classroom instruction for applicants or prospective applicants, not more than twenty-one (21) years 18
of age, for a limited-instruction permit or license. The instruction shall include eight (8) hours, 19
specifically for instruction on the effects of alcohol and drugs on a driver, and the instruction shall 20
be given by a person eligible for a teacher’s certificate issued under the authority of the state board 21
of education and which course of instruction shall be approved by the state board of education. In 22
case of emergency, the president of the community college of Rhode Island may declare, when no 23
certified instructor is available to teach, that an individual eligible to teach at the community college 24
of Rhode Island, who has taken the required course of instruction in driver education, may provide 25
driver education instruction. All driver education programs shall include information concerning 26
the Revised Uniform Anatomical Gift Act, chapter 18.6.1 of title 23, and information on donor 27
cards pursuant to the applicable provisions of chapter 18.6.1 of title 23. The state board of education 28
shall ensure that each person properly certified and approved to instruct driver education courses 29
shall be given an equal opportunity for employment as an instructor within the driver education 30
program. No person teaching driver education under this section shall own, be employed by, or be 31
associated with a commercial driving school. 32
(b) Driver education instruction shall be available to any eligible resident applicant not less 33
than fifteen (15) years and ten (10) months of age. 34
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(c) That the state shall also provide a separate program of instruction, as previously set 1
forth in this section, for special needs students whose individual education plan (IEP) indicates a 2
need for a separate program of instruction. 3
(d) The community college of Rhode Island shall provide a driver training program for 4
physically handicapped drivers. The program shall instruct the physically handicapped driver in 5
the operation of adapted vehicles for the handicapped. The adapted vehicles are to be provided by 6
the handicapped individual. A physically handicapped person must be certified by a licensed 7
physician that he or she is physically handicapped and possesses sufficient potential to become a 8
competent motor vehicle operator. The community college of Rhode Island shall establish a tuition 9
fee sufficient to cover the cost of the program. 10
(e) A tuition or enrollment fee shall be required to be paid by an eligible applicant in 11
accordance with rules and regulations of the state board of education; provided, that personal 12
checks shall be an acceptable method of payment of the tuition or enrollment fee. The tuition or 13
enrollment fee shall be deposited in a restricted receipt account established to pay any and all costs 14
associated with the driver education program at the community college of Rhode Island and 15
administered by the community college of Rhode Island. Provided further, any person receiving 16
foster caregiving in foster and adoptive homes as defined in § 42-72.1-2, shall be eligible for a fee 17
waiver for driver's education classes at the community college of Rhode Island. 18
(f) The state board of education is authorized to establish administrative regulations to 19
further implement this section. 20
(g) The community college of Rhode Island shall establish tuition fees sufficient to cover 21
the cost of the program and the administration of the driver education program. All positions 22
established to implement the driver education program and funded in full by driver education 23
program fees shall be exempt from the full-time equivalency cap established in Article 1 of the 24
Appropriations Act, provided, however, that the board of governors shall report by June 1, 2004, 25
the actual number of filled positions funded exclusively by driver education fees to the chairperson 26
of the house finance committee, the chairperson of the senate finance committee, and the state 27
budget officer. 28
(h) Notwithstanding any other provisions of this section, the state board of education shall 29
provide for a required course of instruction for the applicant’s parent, guardian, or designee where 30
applicable, on the content of the driver education curriculum and the requirements for the graduated 31
licensing for persons under the age of eighteen (18) as contained in § 31-10-6. The course of 32
instruction shall be made available in a classroom setting at numerous locations, days, and times 33
throughout the state, approved by the community college of Rhode Island. All costs and expenses 34
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associated with the course of instruction, including, but not limited to, materials, instructors, and 1
location fees shall be at the sole expense of the program providers. Once approved by the state 2
board of education, an online course of instruction shall be made available to parent(s), guardian(s), 3
or designee(s), where applicable, to meet the requirements of this section. Under no circumstances 4
shall any parent, guardian, or designee, where applicable, be required to pay any cost or fee in 5
association with participation in the course required by this section. Upon completion of the course 6
pursuant to this section, no parent, guardian, or designee shall be required to take the course more 7
than one time in a five-year (5) period. Parents, guardians, and designees with multiple children 8
having completed this course shall be deemed to have satisfied this requirement for each child in 9
their care applying for his or her license during the five-year (5) period. Should AAA or any other 10
provider cease to provide the course and no other provider exists, the community college of Rhode 11
Island shall not be required to provide the course of instruction nor shall it be required to pay any 12
of the costs associated therewith. Parents, guardians, and designees shall not be required to 13
complete the course prior to their child obtaining a license during any time at which a qualified 14
program under this section does not exist. The community college of Rhode Island shall be 15
responsible to develop the course of instruction and content for the parent instruction, or may 16
approve a similar course of instruction, such as AAA’s course, as equivalent to it, and shall 17
promulgate regulations and establish the appropriate method of providing the instruction. Should a 18
qualified program cease to exist for a period of time greater than six (6) months, the course of 19
instruction will not be required. 20
(i) Dangers of distracted driving, including, but not limited to, use of cell phones would be 21
included in this section curriculum and included in all testing as part of the state’s driver’s license 22
examination. 23
(j) Included in the classroom instruction shall be curriculum related to the dangers of 24
marijuana-impaired driving such as the course provided by AAA or similar equivalent. 25
(k) The curriculum required by subsection (j) of this section shall become effective upon 26
the effective date of this subsection [June 19, 2023] and shall only be implemented upon the 27
approval of the course by the state board of education. 28
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage. 29
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EXPLANATION
BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
OF
A N A C T
RELATING TO MOTOR AN D OTHER VEHICLES -- OPERATORS' AND CHAUF FEURS'
LICENSES
***
This act would exempt an individual in foster or adoptive homes from the fee associated 1
with drivers education classes at the community college of Rhode Island. 2
This act would take effect upon passage. 3
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