BILL REQ. #:  Z-0617.2 

Prefiled 12/15/11. Read first time 01/09/12.   Referred to Committee on Transportation.

     AN ACT Relating to the issuance of drivers' licenses and identicards; amending RCW 46.20.049, 46.20.117, 46.20.120, 46.20.161, 46.20.181, and 46.20.505; and providing an effective date.

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

Sec. 1   RCW 46.20.049 and 2011 c 227 s 6 are each amended to read as follows:
     There shall be an additional fee for issuing any class of commercial driver's license in addition to the prescribed fee required for the issuance of the original driver's license. The additional fee for each class shall be ((sixty-one)) seventy-three dollars and twenty cents for the original commercial driver's license or subsequent renewals. If the commercial driver's license is issued, renewed, or extended for a period other than ((five)) six years, the fee for each class shall be twelve dollars and twenty cents for each year that the commercial driver's license is issued, renewed, or extended. The fee shall be deposited in the highway safety fund.

Sec. 2   RCW 46.20.117 and 2005 c 314 s 305 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) Issuance. The department shall issue an identicard, containing a picture, if the applicant:
     (a) Does not hold a valid Washington driver's license;
     (b) Proves his or her identity as required by RCW 46.20.035; and
     (c) Pays the required fee. Except as provided in subsection (5) of this section, the fee is twenty-four dollars unless an applicant is a recipient of continuing public assistance grants under Title 74 RCW, who is referred in writing by the secretary of social and health services. For those persons the fee must be the actual cost of production of the identicard.
     (2) Design and term. The identicard must:
     (a) Be distinctly designed so that it will not be confused with the official driver's license; and
     (b) Except as provided in subsection (5) of this section, expire on the ((fifth)) sixth anniversary of the applicant's birthdate after issuance.
     (3) Renewal. An application for identicard renewal may be submitted by means of:
     (a) Personal appearance before the department; or
     (b) Mail or electronic commerce, if permitted by rule of the department and if the applicant did not renew his or her identicard by mail or by electronic commerce when it last expired. ((However, the department may accept an application for renewal of an identicard submitted by means of mail or electronic commerce only if specific authority and funding is provided for this purpose by June 30, 2004, in the omnibus transportation appropriations act.))
     An identicard may not be renewed by mail or by electronic commerce unless the renewal issued by the department includes a photograph of the identicard holder.
     (4) Cancellation. The department may cancel an identicard if the holder of the identicard used the card or allowed others to use the card in violation of RCW 46.20.0921.
     (5) Alternative issuance/renewal/extension. From July 1, 2013, to June 30, 2021, the department may issue or renew an identicard for a period other than six years, or may extend by mail or electronic commerce an identicard that has already been issued, in order to evenly distribute, as nearly as possible, the yearly renewal rate of identicard holders. The fee for an identicard issued or renewed for a period other than six years, or that has been extended by mail or electronic commerce, is four dollars for each year that the identicard is issued, renewed, or extended. The department may adopt any rules as are necessary to carry out this subsection.

Sec. 3   RCW 46.20.120 and 2011 c 370 s 4 are each amended to read as follows:
     An applicant for a new or renewed driver's license must successfully pass a driver licensing examination to qualify for a driver's license. The department must ensure that examinations are given at places and times reasonably available to the people of this state. If the department does not administer driver licensing examinations as a routine part of its licensing services within a department region because adequate testing sites are provided by driver training schools or school districts within that region, the department shall, at a minimum, administer driver licensing examinations by appointment to applicants eighteen years of age and older in at least one licensing office within that region.
     (1) Waiver. The department may waive:
     (a) All or any part of the examination of any person applying for the renewal of a driver's license unless the department determines that the applicant is not qualified to hold a driver's license under this title; or
     (b) All or any part of the examination involving operating a motor vehicle if the applicant:
     (i) Surrenders a valid driver's license issued by the person's previous home state; or
     (ii) Provides for verification a valid driver's license issued by a foreign driver licensing jurisdiction with which the department has an informal agreement under RCW 46.20.125; and
     (iii) Is otherwise qualified to be licensed.
     (2) Fee. Each applicant for a new license must pay an examination fee of twenty dollars.
     (a) The examination fee is in addition to the fee charged for issuance of the license.
     (b) "New license" means a license issued to a driver:
     (i) Who has not been previously licensed in this state; or
     (ii) Whose last previous Washington license has been expired for more than ((five)) six years.
     (3) An application for driver's license renewal may be submitted by means of:
     (a) Personal appearance before the department; or
     (b) Mail or electronic commerce, if permitted by rule of the department and if the applicant did not renew his or her license by mail or by electronic commerce when it last expired.
     (4) A person whose license expired or will expire while he or she is living outside the state, may:
     (a) Apply to the department to extend the validity of his or her license for no more than twelve months. If the person establishes to the department's satisfaction that he or she is unable to return to Washington before the date his or her license expires, the department shall extend the person's license. The department may grant consecutive extensions, but in no event may the cumulative total of extensions exceed twelve months. 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 charge a fee of five dollars for each license extension;
     (b) Apply to the department to renew his or her license by mail or, if permitted by rule of the department, by electronic commerce even if subsection (3)(b) of this section would not otherwise allow renewal by that means. If the person establishes to the department's satisfaction that he or she is unable to return to Washington within twelve months of the date that his or her license expires, the department shall renew the person's license by mail or, if permitted by rule of the department, by electronic commerce.
     (5) If a qualified person submits an application for renewal under subsection (3)(b) or (4)(b) of this section, he or she is not required to pass an examination nor provide an updated photograph. A license renewed by mail or by electronic commerce that does not include a photograph of the licensee must be labeled "not valid for identification purposes."
     (6) Driver training schools licensed by the department under chapter 46.82 RCW may administer the portions of the driver licensing examination that test the applicant's knowledge of traffic laws and ability to safely operate a motor vehicle.
     (7) School districts that offer a traffic safety education program under chapter 28A.220 RCW may administer the portions of the driver licensing examination that test the applicant's knowledge of traffic laws and ability to safely operate a motor vehicle.

Sec. 4   RCW 46.20.161 and 2000 c 115 s 6 are each amended to read as follows:
     The department, upon receipt of a fee of ((twenty-five)) thirty dollars, unless the driver's license is issued for a period other than ((five)) six years, in which case the fee shall be five dollars for each year that the license is issued, which includes the fee for the required photograph, shall issue to every qualifying applicant a driver's license. A driver's license issued to a person under the age of eighteen is an intermediate license, subject to the restrictions imposed under RCW 46.20.075, until the person reaches the age of eighteen. The license must include a distinguishing number assigned to the licensee, the name of record, date of birth, Washington residence address, photograph, a brief description of the licensee, and either a facsimile of the signature of the licensee or a space upon which the licensee shall write his or her usual signature with pen and ink immediately upon receipt of the license. No license is valid until it has been so signed by the licensee.

Sec. 5   RCW 46.20.181 and 1999 c 308 s 3 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) Except as provided in subsection (4) or (5) of this section, every driver's license expires on the ((fifth)) sixth anniversary of the licensee's birthdate following the issuance of the license.
     (2) A person may renew his or her license on or before the expiration date by submitting an application as prescribed by the department and paying a fee of ((twenty-five)) thirty dollars. This fee includes the fee for the required photograph.
     (3) A 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, unless his or her license expired when:
     (a) The person was outside the state and he or she renews the license within sixty days after returning to this state; or
     (b) The person was incapacitated and he or she renews the license within sixty days after the termination of the incapacity.
     (4) ((During the period from July 1, 2000, to July 1, 2006)) From July 1, 2013, to June 30, 2021, the department may issue or renew a driver's license for a period other than ((five)) six years, or may extend by mail or electronic commerce a license that has already been issued, in order to evenly distribute, as nearly as possible, the yearly renewal rate of licensed drivers. The fee for a driver's license issued or renewed for a period other than ((five)) six years, or that has been extended by mail or electronic commerce, is five dollars for each year that the license is issued, renewed, or extended. The department may adopt any rules as are necessary to carry out this subsection.
     (5) A driver's license that includes a hazardous materials endorsement under chapter 46.25 RCW may expire on an anniversary of the licensee's birthdate other than the sixth year following issuance or renewal of the license in order to match, as nearly as possible, the validity of certification from the federal transportation security administration that the licensee has been determined not to pose a security risk. The fee for a driver's license issued or renewed for a period other than six years is five dollars for each year that the license is issued or renewed, not including any endorsement fees. The department may adjust the expiration date of a driver's license that has previously been issued to conform to the provisions of this subsection if a hazardous materials endorsement is added to the license subsequent to its issuance. If the validity of the driver's license is extended, the licensee must pay a fee of five dollars for each year that the license is extended.
     (6) The department may adopt any rules as are necessary to carry out this section.

Sec. 6   RCW 46.20.505 and 2007 c 97 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:
     Every person applying for a special endorsement of a driver's license authorizing such person to drive a two or three-wheeled motorcycle or a motor-driven cycle shall pay a fee of five dollars, which is not refundable. In addition, the endorsement fee for the initial motorcycle endorsement shall not exceed ((ten)) twelve dollars((, and)), unless the endorsement is issued for a period other than six years, in which case the endorsement fee shall not exceed two dollars for each year the initial motorcycle endorsement is issued. The subsequent renewal endorsement fee shall not exceed ((twenty-five)) thirty dollars, unless the endorsement is renewed or extended for a period other than ((five)) six years, in which case the subsequent renewal endorsement fee shall not exceed five dollars for each year that the endorsement is renewed or extended. Fees collected under this section shall be deposited in the motorcycle safety education account of the highway safety fund.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 7   This act takes effect July 1, 2013.