Florida Senate - 2012 SB 1192
By Senator Lynn
7-01334A-12 20121192__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to persons with disabilities;
3 requiring law enforcement agencies to report certain
4 criminal activity and enforcement of certain laws to
5 the Department of Law Enforcement and the Department
6 of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles; amending s.
7 322.12, F.S.; providing requirements for examination
8 questions pertaining to traffic laws relating to
9 legally blind and mobility impaired persons; amending
10 s. 322.095, F.S.; requiring certain traffic law
11 education programs to include the study of traffic
12 laws to assist legally blind and mobility impaired
13 persons; amending s. 943.17, F.S.; requiring the basic
14 skills course required in order for law enforcement
15 officers to obtain certification to include the study
16 of traffic laws to assist legally blind and mobility
17 impaired persons; amending s. 1003.48, F.S.; requiring
18 driver education programs to include study of traffic
19 laws to assist legally blind and mobility impaired
20 persons; providing an effective date.
21
22 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
23
24 Section 1. Law enforcement reports.—Each month, each law
25 enforcement agency in the state shall report crimes affecting
26 persons with disabilities, legally blind persons, and persons
27 who are mobility impaired to the Department of Law Enforcement
28 and report its enforcement of s. 316.1301, Florida Statutes, and
29 traffic laws to assist legally blind and mobility impaired
30 persons to the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.
31 The report to the Department of Highway Safety and Motor
32 Vehicles shall include incidents of crashes involving legally
33 blind persons and crashes involving mobility impaired persons.
34 The Department of Law Enforcement and the Department of Highway
35 Safety and Motor Vehicles shall each provide procedures for the
36 collection and maintenance of the reports in the same manner as
37 other criminal activity and enforcement reports are collected
38 and maintained by that department.
39 Section 2. Subsection (6) is added to section 322.12,
40 Florida Statutes, to read:
41 322.12 Examination of applicants.—
42 (6) Each examination given for a Class E driver license or
43 a commercial driver license under this section must include one
44 question testing the applicant’s knowledge of s. 316.1301 and
45 traffic laws to assist legally blind and mobility impaired
46 persons. In developing questions under this subsection, the
47 department shall emphasize pedestrian right of way when a driver
48 is making a right turn at an intersection.
49 Section 3. Subsection (1) of section 322.095, Florida
50 Statutes, is amended to read:
51 322.095 Traffic law and substance abuse education program
52 for driver driver’s license applicants.—
53 (1) The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles
54 must approve traffic law and substance abuse education courses
55 that must be completed by applicants for a Florida driver
56 driver’s license. The curricula for the courses must provide
57 instruction on the physiological and psychological consequences
58 of the abuse of alcohol and other drugs, the societal and
59 economic costs of alcohol and drug abuse, the effects of alcohol
60 and drug abuse on the driver of a motor vehicle, and the laws of
61 this state relating to the operation of a motor vehicle. The
62 curricula must also include the study of s. 316.1301 and traffic
63 laws to assist legally blind and mobility impaired persons. All
64 instructors teaching the courses shall be certified by the
65 department.
66 Section 4. Subsection (5) of section 943.17, Florida
67 Statutes, is amended to read:
68 943.17 Basic recruit, advanced, and career development
69 training programs; participation; cost; evaluation.—The
70 commission shall, by rule, design, implement, maintain,
71 evaluate, and revise entry requirements and job-related
72 curricula and performance standards for basic recruit, advanced,
73 and career development training programs and courses. The rules
74 shall include, but are not limited to, a methodology to assess
75 relevance of the subject matter to the job, student performance,
76 and instructor competency.
77 (5) The commission, in consultation with the Florida
78 Violent Crime and Drug Control Council, shall establish
79 standards for basic and advanced training programs for law
80 enforcement officers in the subjects of investigating and
81 preventing violent crime. The curricula of every basic skills
82 course required in order for law enforcement officers to obtain
83 initial certification must include the study of s. 316.1301 and
84 traffic laws to assist legally blind and mobility impaired
85 persons. After January 1, 1995, every basic skills course
86 required in order for law enforcement officers to obtain initial
87 certification must include training on violent crime prevention
88 and investigations.
89 Section 5. Subsection (1) of section 1003.48, Florida
90 Statutes, is amended to read:
91 1003.48 Instruction in operation of motor vehicles.—
92 (1) A course of study and instruction in the safe and
93 lawful operation of a motor vehicle shall be made available by
94 each district school board to students in the secondary schools
95 in the state. As used in this section, the term “motor vehicle”
96 shall have the same meaning as in s. 320.01(1)(a) and shall
97 include motorcycles and mopeds. Instruction in motorcycle or
98 moped operation may be limited to classroom instruction. The
99 curricula of every course must include the study of s. 316.1301
100 and traffic laws to assist legally blind and mobility impaired
101 persons. The course shall not be made a part of, or a substitute
102 for, any of the minimum requirements for graduation.
103 Section 6. This act shall take effect July 1, 2012.