Z-1015.3 _______________________________________________
SENATE BILL 6634
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State of Washington 55th Legislature 1998 Regular Session
By Senators Horn, Haugen, Wood and Oke; by request of Department of Licensing
Read first time 01/23/98. Referred to Committee on Transportation.
AN ACT Relating to the extension of the validity of a driver's license that expires while the driver is outside the state; and amending RCW 46.20.120.
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 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 may adopt rules setting the procedures by which a person who is outside the state at the time his or her driver's license expires may extend the validity of the license for a period of time not to exceed six months. The department shall collect a fee for an extension granted under this section. The department shall set the fee by rule, for an amount of not more than five dollars. An extension granted under this section does not change the expiration date of the license for purposes of RCW 46.20.181.
The department shall provide for giving examinations at places and times reasonably available to the people of this state.
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