Read first time 01/19/2005.   Referred to Committee on Transportation.

     AN ACT Relating to driver's license examinations; amending RCW 46.20.120; adding new sections to chapter 46.20 RCW; and creating a new section.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   The legislature recognizes the importance of global markets to our state and national economy. As a leader among states in international commerce, Washington houses many multinational corporations. Competition among states for foreign businesses and personnel is fierce and it is necessary to Washington's future economic viability to eliminate a significant regulatory barrier to efficient personnel exchange, resulting in a more attractive business climate in Washington. The legislature recognizes that more than twenty other states have entered into informal reciprocal agreements with other nations to waive driver's license testing requirements in order to ease the transition of personnel to and from those states. By removing an unnecessary barrier to efficient personnel mobility it is the intent of the legislature to strengthen and diversify Washington's economy.

Sec. 2   RCW 46.20.120 and 2004 c 249 s 6 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)) 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; ((and)) 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 section 3 of this act; and
     (iii) 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. However, the department may accept an application for renewal of a driver's license 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.
     (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."

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3   A new section is added to chapter 46.20 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) The department may enter into an informal agreement with one or more other licensing jurisdictions to waive the requirement for the examination involving operating a motor vehicle by licensed drivers, age eighteen years or older, from that jurisdiction.
     (2) The department may only enter into an agreement with a jurisdiction if:
     (a) The jurisdiction has procedures in place to verify the validity of the drivers' licenses it issues; and
     (b) The jurisdiction has agreed to waive all or any part of the driver's license examination requirements for Washington licensed drivers applying for a driver's license in that jurisdiction.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 4   A new section is added to chapter 46.20 RCW to read as follows:
     The department may make rules to carry out the purposes of sections 2 and 3 of this act.