S-4712.1 _______________________________________________
SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 6590
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State of Washington 55th Legislature 1998 Regular Session
By Senate Committee on Transportation (originally sponsored by Senators Horn, Haugen and Wood; by request of Department of Licensing)
Read first time 02/10/98.
AN ACT Relating to driver's license examinations; amending RCW 46.20.120; and adding a new section to chapter 46.20 RCW.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
Sec. 1. RCW 46.20.120 and 1990 c 9 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:
No new driver's license may be issued and no previously issued license may be renewed until the applicant therefor has successfully passed a driver licensing examination. However, the department may waive all or any part of the examination of any person applying for the renewal of a driver's license except when the department determines that an applicant for a driver's license is not qualified to hold a driver's license under this title. The department may also waive the actual demonstration of the ability to operate a motor vehicle by a person who surrenders a valid driver's license issued by the person's previous home state, province of Canada, or other country with which the department has an informal agreement authorized under section 2 of this act and who is otherwise qualified to be licensed. For a new license examination a fee of seven dollars shall be paid by each applicant, in addition to the fee charged for issuance of the license. A new license is one issued to a driver who has not been previously licensed in this state or to a driver whose last previous Washington license has been expired for more than four years.
Any person renewing his or her driver's license more than sixty days after the license has expired shall pay a penalty fee of ten dollars in addition to the renewal fee under RCW 46.20.181. The penalty fee shall be deposited in the highway safety fund.
Any person who is outside the state at the time his or her driver's license expires or who is unable to renew the license due to any incapacity may renew the license within sixty days after returning to this state or within sixty days after the termination of any such incapacity without the payment of the penalty fee.
The department shall provide for giving examinations at places and times reasonably available to the people of this state.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. A new section is added to chapter 46.20 RCW to read as follows:
(1) The department may enter into informal agreements with other countries waiving the requirement for licensed drivers from that country to take the driving portion of the driver's license examination.
(2) The department may only enter into an agreement with a country if it has procedures in place to verify the validity of drivers' licenses issued by that country.
(3) An applicant for a Washington driver's license is eligible for a waiver under this section only if:
(a) The applicant surrenders a valid driver's license issued to him or her from another country; and
(b) The department has entered into an informal agreement with that country under this section.
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