READ FIRST TIME 03/03/09.   

     AN ACT Relating to commercial driver's license applicants who operate commercial motor vehicles for agribusiness purposes; amending RCW 46.25.060; and providing an expiration date.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

Sec. 1   RCW 46.25.060 and 2007 c 418 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1)(a) No person may be issued a commercial driver's license unless that person is a resident of this state, has successfully completed a course of instruction in the operation of a commercial motor vehicle that has been approved by the director or has been certified by an employer as having the skills and training necessary to operate a commercial motor vehicle safely, and has passed a knowledge and skills test for driving a commercial motor vehicle that complies with minimum federal standards established by federal regulation enumerated in 49 C.F.R. part 383, subparts G and H, and has satisfied all other requirements of the CMVSA in addition to other requirements imposed by state law or federal regulation. The tests must be prescribed and conducted by the department. In addition to the fee charged for issuance or renewal of any license, the applicant shall pay a fee of no more than ten dollars for each classified knowledge examination, classified endorsement knowledge examination, or any combination of classified license and endorsement knowledge examinations. The applicant shall pay a fee of no more than one hundred dollars for each classified skill examination or combination of classified skill examinations conducted by the department.
     (b) The department may authorize a person, including an agency of this or another state, an employer, a private driver training facility, or other private institution, or a department, agency, or instrumentality of local government, to administer the skills test specified by this section under the following conditions:
     (i) The test is the same which would otherwise be administered by the state;
     (ii) The third party has entered into an agreement with the state that complies with the requirements of 49 C.F.R. part 383.75; and
     (iii) The director has adopted rules as to the third party testing program and the development and justification for fees charged by any third party.
     (c) If the applicant's primary use of a commercial driver's license is for any of the following, then the applicant shall pay a fee of no more than seventy-five dollars for each classified skill examination or combination of classified skill examinations whether conducted by the department or a third-party tester:
     (i) Public benefit not-for-profit corporations that are federally supported head start programs; or
     (ii) Public benefit not-for-profit corporations that support early childhood education and assistance programs as described in RCW 43.215.405(4).
     (2) The department shall work with the office of the superintendent of public instruction to develop modified P1 and P2 skill examinations that also include the skill examination components required to obtain an "S" endorsement. In no event may a new applicant for an "S" endorsement be required to take two separate examinations to obtain an "S" endorsement and either a P1 or P2 endorsement, unless that applicant is upgrading his or her existing commercial driver's license to include an "S" endorsement. The combined P1/S or P2/S skill examination must be offered to the applicant at the same cost as a regular P1 or P2 skill examination.
     (3)(a) The department may waive the skills test and the requirement for completion of a course of instruction in the operation of a commercial motor vehicle specified in this section for a commercial driver's license applicant who meets the requirements of 49 C.F.R. part 383.77.
     (b) An applicant who operates a commercial motor vehicle for agribusiness purposes is exempt from the course of instruction completion and employer skills and training certification requirements under this section. By January 1, 2010, the department shall submit recommendations regarding the continuance of this exemption to the transportation committees of the legislature. For purposes of this subsection (3)(b), "agribusiness" means a private carrier who in the normal course of business primarily transports:
     (i) Farm machinery, farm equipment, implements of husbandry, farm supplies, and materials used in farming;
     (ii) Agricultural inputs, such as seed, feed, fertilizer, and crop protection products;
     (iii) Unprocessed agricultural commodities, as defined in RCW 17.21.020, where such commodities are produced by farmers, ranchers, vineyardists, or orchardists; or
     (iv) Any combination of (b)(i) through (iii) of this subsection.
     This subsection (3)(b) expires July 1, 2011.
     (4) A commercial driver's license or commercial driver's instruction permit may not be issued to a person while the person is subject to a disqualification from driving a commercial motor vehicle, or while the person's driver's license is suspended, revoked, or canceled in any state, nor may a commercial driver's license be issued to a person who has a commercial driver's license issued by any other state unless the person first surrenders all such licenses, which must be returned to the issuing state for cancellation.
     (5)(a) The department may issue a commercial driver's instruction permit to an applicant who is at least eighteen years of age and holds a valid Washington state driver's license and who has submitted a proper application, passed the general knowledge examination required for issuance of a commercial driver's license under subsection (1) of this section, and paid the appropriate fee for the knowledge examination and an application fee of ten dollars.
     (b) A commercial driver's instruction permit may not be issued for a period to exceed six months. Only one renewal or reissuance may be granted within a two-year period.
     (c) The holder of a commercial driver's instruction permit may drive a commercial motor vehicle on a highway only when accompanied by the holder of a commercial driver's license valid for the type of vehicle driven who occupies a seat beside the individual for the purpose of giving instruction in driving the commercial motor vehicle. The holder of a commercial driver's instruction permit is not authorized to operate a commercial motor vehicle transporting hazardous materials.
     (d) The department shall transmit the fees collected for commercial driver's instruction permits to the state treasurer.