BILL REQ. #:  Z-0136.2 

Read first time 01/24/2003.   Referred to Committee on Highways & Transportation.

     AN ACT Relating to renewal of driver's licenses and identicards by alternative means; amending RCW 46.20.035, 46.20.117, 46.20.120, 46.20.155, and 46.25.080; reenacting and amending RCW 46.20.055 and 46.20.070; and adding a new section to chapter 46.04 RCW.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   A new section is added to chapter 46.04 RCW to read as follows:
     "Electronic commerce" may include, but is not limited to, transactions conducted over the Internet or by telephone or other electronic means.

Sec. 2   RCW 46.20.035 and 1999 c 6 s 8 are each amended to read as follows:
     The department may not issue an identicard or a Washington state driver's license that is valid for identification purposes unless the applicant meets the identification requirements of subsection (1), (2), or (3) of this section.
     (1) A driver's license or identicard applicant must provide the department with at least one of the following pieces of valid identifying documentation that contains the signature and a photograph of the applicant:
     (a) A valid or recently expired driver's license or instruction permit that includes the date of birth of the applicant;
     (b) A Washington state identicard or an identification card issued by another state;
     (c) An identification card issued by the United States, a state, or an agency of either the United States or a state, of a kind commonly used to identify the members or employees of the government agency;
     (d) A military identification card;
     (e) A United States passport; or
     (f) An Immigration and Naturalization Service form.
     (2) An applicant who is a minor may establish identity by providing an affidavit of the applicant's parent or guardian. The parent or guardian must accompany the minor and display or provide:
     (a) At least one piece of documentation in subsection (1) of this section establishing the identity of the parent or guardian; and
     (b) Additional documentation establishing the relationship between the parent or guardian and the applicant.
     (3) A person unable to provide identifying documentation as specified in subsection (1) or (2) of this section may request that the department review other available documentation in order to ascertain identity. The department may waive the requirement if it finds that other documentation clearly establishes the identity of the applicant.
     (4) An identicard or a driver's license that includes a photograph that has been renewed by mail or by electronic commerce is valid for identification purposes if the applicant met the identification requirements of subsection (1), (2), or (3) of this section at the time of previous issuance.
     (5) The form of an applicant's name, as established under this section, ((must be)) is the person's name of record for the purposes of this chapter.
     (((5))) (6) If the applicant is unable to prove his or her identity under this section, the department shall plainly label the license "not valid for identification purposes."

Sec. 3   RCW 46.20.055 and 2002 c 352 s 10 and 2002 c 195 s 2 are each reenacted and amended to read as follows:
     (1) Driver's instruction permit. The department may issue a driver's instruction permit with or without a photograph to an applicant who has successfully passed all parts of the examination other than the driving test, provided the information required by RCW 46.20.091, paid a fee of fifteen dollars, and meets the following requirements:
     (a) Is at least fifteen and one-half years of age; or
     (b) Is at least fifteen years of age and:
     (i) Has submitted a proper application; and
     (ii) Is enrolled in a traffic safety education program offered, approved, and accredited by the superintendent of public instruction or offered by a ((driving [driver])) driver training school licensed and inspected by the department of licensing under chapter 46.82 RCW, that includes practice driving.
     (2) Waiver of written examination for instruction permit. The department may waive the written examination, if, at the time of application, an applicant is enrolled in:
     (a) A traffic safety education course as defined by RCW 28A.220.020(2); or
     (b) A course of instruction offered by a licensed driver training school as defined by RCW 46.82.280(1).
     The department may require proof of registration in such a course as it deems necessary.
     (3) Effect of instruction permit. A person holding a driver's instruction permit may drive a motor vehicle, other than a motorcycle, upon the public highways if:
     (a) The person has immediate possession of the permit; and
     (b) An approved instructor, or a licensed driver with at least five years of driving experience, occupies the seat beside the driver.
     (4) Term of instruction permit. A driver's instruction permit is valid for one year from the date of issue.
     (a) The department may issue one additional one-year permit.
     (b) The department may issue a third driver's permit if it finds after an investigation that the permittee is diligently seeking to improve driving proficiency.
     (c) A person applying to renew an instruction permit must submit the application to the department in person.

Sec. 4   RCW 46.20.070 and 2002 c 352 s 11 and 2002 c 195 s 3 are each reenacted and amended to read as follows:
     (1) Agricultural driving permit authorized. The director may issue a juvenile agricultural driving permit to a person under the age of eighteen years if:
     (a) The application is signed by the applicant and the applicant's father, mother, or legal guardian;
     (b) The applicant has passed the driving examination required by RCW 46.20.120;
     (c) The department has investigated the applicant's need for the permit and determined that the need justifies issuance;
     (d) The department has determined the applicant is capable of operating a motor vehicle without endangering himself or herself or other persons and property; and
     (e) The applicant has paid a fee of fifteen dollars.
     The permit must contain a photograph of the person.
     (2) Effect of agricultural driving permit. (a) The permit authorizes the holder to:
     (i) Drive a motor vehicle on the public highways of this state in connection with farm work. The holder may drive only within a restricted farming locality described on the permit; and
     (ii) Participate in the classroom portion of a traffic safety education course authorized under RCW 28A.220.030 or the classroom portion of a traffic safety education course offered by a driver training school licensed and inspected by the department of licensing under chapter 46.82 RCW offered in the community where the holder resides.
     (b) The director may transfer the permit from one farming locality to another. A transfer is not a renewal of the permit.
     (3) Term and renewal of agricultural driving permit. An agricultural driving permit expires one year from the date of issue.
     (a) A person under the age of eighteen who holds a permit may renew the permit by paying a fee of fifteen dollars.
     (b) A person applying to renew an agricultural driving permit must submit the application to the department in person.
     (c) An agricultural driving permit is invalidated when a permittee attains age eighteen. In order to drive a motor vehicle on a highway he or she must obtain a motor vehicle driver's license under this chapter.
     (4) Suspension, revocation, or cancellation. The director has sole discretion to suspend, revoke, or cancel a juvenile agricultural driving permit if:
     (a) The permittee has been found to have committed an offense that requires mandatory suspension or revocation of a driver's license; or
     (b) The director is satisfied that the permittee has violated the permit's restrictions.

Sec. 5   RCW 46.20.117 and 2002 c 352 s 12 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. The fee is fifteen 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) Expire on the fifth 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.
     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.

Sec. 6   RCW 46.20.120 and 2002 c 352 s 13 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 shall give examinations at places and times reasonably available to the people of this state.
     (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) The actual demonstration of the ability to operate a motor vehicle if the applicant:
     (i) Surrenders a valid driver's license issued by the person's previous home state; and
     (ii) Is otherwise qualified to be licensed.
     (2) Fee. Each applicant for a new license must pay an examination fee of ten 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 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 ((on or after January 1, 1998,)) while he or she ((was or)) 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 ((qualifies for a mail-in)) 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. ((He or she must, however, pay the fee required by RCW 46.20.181 plus an additional five-dollar mail-in renewal fee.)) 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."
     (((4) If a person's driver's license is extended or renewed under subsection (3) of this section while he or she is outside the state, he or she must submit to the examination required under this section within sixty days of returning to this state. The department will not assess a penalty or examination fee for the examination.))

Sec. 7   RCW 46.20.155 and 2001 c 41 s 14 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) Before issuing an original license or ((identification card)) identicard or renewing a license or ((identification card)) identicard under this chapter, the licensing agent shall determine if the applicant wants to register to vote or transfer his or her voter registration by asking the following question:

     "Do you want to register to vote or transfer your voter registration?"

     If the applicant chooses to register or transfer a registration, the agent shall state the following:

     "I would like to remind you that you must be a United States citizen and at least eighteen years of age in order to vote."

     The agent shall then provide the applicant with a voter registration form and instructions and shall record that the applicant has requested to register to vote or transfer a voter registration.
     (2) The department shall establish a procedure that substantially meets the requirements of subsection (1) of this section when permitting an applicant to renew a license or identicard by mail or by electronic commerce.

Sec. 8   RCW 46.25.080 and 1996 c 30 s 2 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) The commercial driver's license must be marked "commercial driver's license" or "CDL," and must be, to the maximum extent practicable, tamperproof. It must include, but not be limited to, the following information:
     (a) The name and residence address of the person;
     (b) The person's color photograph;
     (c) A physical description of the person including sex, height, weight, and eye color;
     (d) Date of birth;
     (e) The person's Social Security number or any number or identifier deemed appropriate by the department;
     (f) The person's signature;
     (g) The class or type of commercial motor vehicle or vehicles that the person is authorized to drive, together with any endorsements or restrictions;
     (h) The name of the state; and
     (i) The dates between which the license is valid.
     (2) Commercial driver's licenses may be issued with the classifications, endorsements, and restrictions set forth in this subsection. The holder of a valid commercial driver's license may drive all vehicles in the class for which that license is issued and all lesser classes of vehicles except motorcycles and vehicles that require an endorsement, unless the proper endorsement appears on the license.
     (a) Licenses may be classified as follows:
     (i) Class A is a combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 pounds or more, if the GVWR of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
     (ii) Class B is a single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 pounds or more, and any such vehicle towing a vehicle not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
     (iii) Class C is a single vehicle with a GVWR of less than 26,001 pounds or any such vehicle towing a vehicle with a GVWR not in excess of 10,000 pounds consisting of:
     (A) Vehicles designed to transport sixteen or more passengers, including the driver; or
     (B) Vehicles used in the transportation of hazardous materials that requires the vehicle to be identified with a placard under 49 C.F.R., part 172, subpart F.
     (b) The following endorsements and restrictions may be placed on a license:
     (i) "H" authorizes the driver to drive a vehicle transporting hazardous materials.
     (ii) "K" restricts the driver to vehicles not equipped with air brakes.
     (iii) "T" authorizes driving double and triple trailers.
     (iv) "P1" authorizes driving all vehicles carrying passengers.
     (v) "P2" authorizes driving vehicles with a GVWR of less than 26,001 pounds carrying sixteen or more passengers, including the driver.
     (vi) "N" authorizes driving tank vehicles.
     (vii) "X" represents a combination of hazardous materials and tank vehicle endorsements.
     The license may be issued with additional endorsements and restrictions as established by rule of the director.
     (3) All school bus drivers must have either a "P1" or "P2" endorsement depending on the GVWR of the school bus being driven.
     (4) Before issuing a commercial driver's license, the department shall obtain driving record information through the commercial driver's license information system, the national driver register, and from the current state of record.
     (5) Within ten days after issuing a commercial driver's license, the department must notify the commercial driver's license information system of that fact, and provide all information required to ensure identification of the person.
     (6) A commercial driver's license shall expire in the same manner as provided in RCW 46.20.181.
     (7) When applying for renewal of a commercial driver's license, the applicant shall:
     (a) Complete the application form required by RCW 46.25.070(1), providing updated information and required certifications((.));
     (b) Submit the application to the department in person; and
     (c) If the applicant wishes to retain a hazardous materials endorsement, ((the applicant shall)) take and pass the written test for a hazardous materials endorsement.