| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to driver education; creating s. 322.093, |
| 3 | F.S.; requiring minors to complete a driver education |
| 4 | course prior to issuance of a driver's license; providing |
| 5 | that the course may be given by a public secondary school, |
| 6 | nonpublic school, or commercial driving school meeting |
| 7 | specified requirements; requiring the school to issue a |
| 8 | certificate to a student who successfully completes the |
| 9 | course; amending s. 1003.48, F.S.; providing instruction |
| 10 | and training requirements for driver education courses; |
| 11 | providing for the use of certain funds; providing an |
| 12 | effective date. |
| 13 |
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| 14 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 15 |
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| 16 | Section 1. Section 322.093, Florida Statutes, is created |
| 17 | to read: |
| 18 | 322.093 Driver education for minors.--The department may |
| 19 | not issue a driver's license to a person who has not attained 18 |
| 20 | years of age unless the person has successfully completed a |
| 21 | driver education course of instruction in the operation of motor |
| 22 | vehicles given by a public secondary school in compliance with |
| 23 | s. 1003.48, a nonpublic school meeting the standards prescribed |
| 24 | under s. 1003.48, or a commercial driving school licensed under |
| 25 | chapter 488. The school shall issue a certificate to each |
| 26 | student who successfully completes the driver education course. |
| 27 | Section 2. Section 1003.48, Florida Statutes, is amended |
| 28 | to read: |
| 29 | 1003.48 Instruction in operation of motor vehicles.-- |
| 30 | (1) A course of study and instruction in the safe and |
| 31 | lawful operation of a motor vehicle shall be made available by |
| 32 | each district school board to students in the secondary schools |
| 33 | in the state. As used in this section, the term "motor vehicle" |
| 34 | shall have the same meaning as in s. 320.01(1)(a) and shall |
| 35 | include motorcycles and mopeds. The course must include |
| 36 | classroom instruction and behind-the-wheel training, except that |
| 37 | instruction in motorcycle or moped operation may be limited to |
| 38 | classroom instruction. The course shall not be made a part of, |
| 39 | or a substitute for, any of the minimum requirements for |
| 40 | graduation. |
| 41 | (2) In order to make such a course available to any |
| 42 | secondary school student, the district school board may use any |
| 43 | one of the following procedures or any combination thereof: |
| 44 | (a) Utilize instructional personnel employed by the |
| 45 | district school board. |
| 46 | (b) Contract with a commercial driving school licensed |
| 47 | under the provisions of chapter 488. |
| 48 | (c) Contract with an instructor certified under the |
| 49 | provisions of chapter 488. |
| 50 | (3)(a) District school boards shall earn funds on full- |
| 51 | time equivalent students at the appropriate basic program cost |
| 52 | factor, regardless of the method by which such courses are |
| 53 | offered. |
| 54 | (b) For the purpose of financing the Driver Education |
| 55 | Program in the secondary schools, there shall be levied an |
| 56 | additional 50 cents per year to the driver's license fee |
| 57 | required by s. 322.21. The additional fee shall be promptly |
| 58 | remitted to the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, |
| 59 | which shall transmit the fee to the Chief Financial Officer to |
| 60 | be deposited in the General Revenue Fund. |
| 61 | (c) A board of county commissioners may use funds received |
| 62 | pursuant to s. 318.1215 to supplement funds for driver education |
| 63 | courses in public and nonpublic schools as provided in s. |
| 64 | 318.1215. |
| 65 | (4) The district school board shall prescribe standards |
| 66 | for the course required by this section and for instructional |
| 67 | personnel directly employed by the district school board. Any |
| 68 | certified instructor or licensed commercial driving school shall |
| 69 | be deemed sufficiently qualified and shall not be required to |
| 70 | meet any standards in lieu of or in addition to those prescribed |
| 71 | under chapter 488. |
| 72 | Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2007. |