BILL REQ. #:  H-0997.1 

Read first time 01/19/2007.   Referred to Committee on Transportation.

     AN ACT Relating to provisional drivers' licenses for persons who fail to prove United States citizenship; amending RCW 46.20.035, 46.20.091, 46.20.105, and 46.20.181; and adding a new section to chapter 46.20 RCW.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   A new section is added to chapter 46.20 RCW to read as follows:
     A person applying for the issuance or renewal of a driver's license must prove that he or she is a United States citizen by meeting the requirements of RCW 46.20.035(7). The department shall not issue a regular driver's license if an applicant fails to meet the requirements of RCW 46.20.035(7). If the person satisfies all other requirements and fees prescribed under this chapter, the department shall issue the person a provisional driver's license. A provisional driver's license is valid for one year from the date of issuance and may be renewed as provided in RCW 46.20.181(5).

Sec. 2   RCW 46.20.035 and 2004 c 249 s 2 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 subsections (1), (2), or (3) and (7) and (8) 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, is the person's name of record for the purposes of this chapter.
     (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."
     (7) An applicant proves that he or she is a United States citizen with an original or copy of any of the following:
     (a) A United States passport;
     (b) A certified birth certificate issued by a city, county, or state. The certified birth certificate must have a registrar's raised, embossed, impressed, or multicolored seal, the registrar's signature, and the date the certificate was filed with the registrar's office, which must be within one year of birth;
     (c) A consular report of birth abroad or certification of birth;
     (d) A naturalization certificate; or
     (e) A certificate of citizenship.
     (8) An applicant provides evidence of a principal Washington residence address with an original or copy of any of the following:
     (a) A utility bill;
     (b) A bank statement;
     (c) A paycheck;
     (d) A government check; or
     (e) Another government document.

Sec. 3   RCW 46.20.091 and 2000 c 115 s 4 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) Application. In order to apply for a driver's license or instruction permit the applicant must provide his or her:
     (a) Name of record, as established by documentation required under RCW 46.20.035;
     (b) Date of birth, as established by satisfactory evidence of age;
     (c) Sex;
     (d) Principal Washington residence address and proof of the address as required in RCW 46.20.035(8);
     (e) Description;
     (f) Driving licensing history, including:
     (i) Whether the applicant has ever been licensed as a driver or chauffeur and, if so, (A) when and by what state or country; (B) whether the license has ever been suspended or revoked; and (C) the date of and reason for the suspension or revocation; or
     (ii) Whether the applicant's application to another state or country for a driver's license has ever been refused and, if so, the date of and reason for the refusal; and
     (g) Proof of United States citizenship as required in RCW 46.20.035(7); and
     (h) Any additional information required by the department.
     (2) Sworn statement. An application for an instruction permit or for an original driver's license must be made upon a form provided by the department. The form must include a section for the applicant to indicate whether he or she has received driver training and, if so, where. The identifying documentation verifying the name of record must be accompanied by the applicant's written statement that it is valid. The information provided on the form must be sworn to and signed by the applicant before a person authorized to administer oaths. An applicant who makes a false statement on an application for a driver's license or instruction permit is guilty of false swearing, a gross misdemeanor, under RCW 9A.72.040.
     (3) Driving records from other jurisdictions. If a person previously licensed in another jurisdiction applies for a Washington driver's license, the department shall request a copy of the applicant's driver's record from the other jurisdiction. The driving record from the other jurisdiction becomes a part of the driver's record in this state.
     (4) Driving records to other jurisdictions. If another jurisdiction requests a copy of a person's Washington driver's record, the department shall provide a copy of the record. The department shall forward the record without charge if the other jurisdiction extends the same privilege to the state of Washington. Otherwise the department shall charge a reasonable fee for transmittal of the record.

Sec. 4   RCW 46.20.105 and 2000 c 115 s 5 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) The department may provide a method to distinguish the driver's license of a person who is under the age of twenty-one from the driver's license of a person who is twenty-one years of age or older.
     (2) An instruction permit must be identified as an "instruction permit" and issued in a distinctive form as determined by the department.
     (3) An intermediate license must be identified as an "intermediate license" and issued in a distinctive form as determined by the department.
     (4) A provisional license must be identified as a "provisional license" and issued in a distinctive color as determined by the department.

Sec. 5   RCW 46.20.181 and 1999 c 308 s 3 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) Except as provided in subsections (4) and (5) of this section, every driver's license expires on the fifth 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 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, the department may issue or renew a driver's license for a period other than five years, or may extend by mail 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 years, or that has been extended by mail, 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) The department may continually renew a provisional driver's license issued under section 1 of this act for periods of one year. The fee for a provisional driver's license issued or renewed is five dollars for each year the license is issued or renewed.