A bill to improve driver licensing and education, and for other purposes.

Summary: Driver Licensing and Education Improvement Act of 2005 - Amends Federal transportation law to establish the National Driver Licensing and Education Improvement Program in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Requires the Program, among other things, to provide States with services for coordinating State motor vehicle driver education and licensing programs.

Amends Federal highway law to direct the Secretary of Transportation to provide grants to States to: (1) improve motor vehicle driver education programs; and (2) establish and improve the administration of graduated licensing systems.

Directs the Secretary to conduct a study to determine whether the establishment and imposition of nationwide minimum standards of motor vehicle driver education would improve national highway traffic safety or the performance and legal compliance of novice drivers.

Modifies eligibility requirements for grants for support of alcohol-impaired driving countermeasures to require a multiple-stage graduated licensing system for young drivers that: (1) authorizes the issuance of an initial license or learner's permit to a driver on or after the driver's 16th birthday; (2) prohibits a person under age 21 with a blood alcohol concentration of .02 percent or greater from operating a motor vehicle; (3) provides for a learning stage and an intermediate stage of at least six months each; (4) limits the numbers of passengers under the age of 18 years old; (5) limits nighttime driving, and (6) applies special penalties for violations of system restrictions and of other State motor vehicle laws.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Driver Licensing and Education 
Improvement Act of 2005''.

SEC. 2. DRIVER LICENSING AND EDUCATION.

    (a) National Driver Licensing and Education Improvement Program.--
Section 105 of title 49, United States Code, is amended by adding at 
the end the following:
    ``(f)(1) There is established, within the National Highway Traffic 
Safety Administration, the National Driver Licensing and Education 
Improvement Program.
    ``(2) The National Driver Licensing and Education Improvement 
Program shall--
            ``(A) provide States with services for coordinating the 
        motor vehicle driver education and licensing programs of the 
        States;
            ``(B) develop, and make available to the States, a 
        cooperatively developed, research-based model for novice driver 
        motor vehicle driver education and graduated licensing that 
        incorporates the best practices in driver education and 
        graduated licensing;
            ``(C) carry out such research and undertake such other 
        activities that the Administrator determines appropriate to 
        develop and continually improve the model described in 
        subparagraph (B);
            ``(D) provide States with voluntary technical assistance 
        for the implementation and deployment of the model described in 
        subparagraph (B) through pilot programs and other means;
            ``(E) develop and recommend to the States methods for 
        harmonizing the presentation of motor vehicle driver education 
        and licensing with the requirements of multistage graduated 
        licensing systems, including systems described in section 
        410(b)(1)(D) of title 23, and to demonstrate and evaluate the 
        effectiveness of those methods in selected States;
            ``(F) develop programs identifying best practices for the 
        certification of driver education instructors;
            ``(G) provide States with financial assistance under 
        section 412 of title 23 for--
                    ``(i) the implementation of the motor vehicle 
                driver education and licensing comprehensive model 
                recommended under subparagraph (B);
                    ``(ii) the establishment or improved administration 
                of multistage graduated licensing systems; and
                    ``(iii) the support of other improvements in motor 
                vehicle driver education and licensing programs;
            ``(H) evaluate the effectiveness of the comprehensive model 
        recommended under subparagraph (B); and
            ``(I) perform such other functions relating to motor 
        vehicle driver education or licensing as the Secretary may 
        require.
    ``(3) Not later than 3 years after the date of enactment of the 
Driver Licensing and Education Improvement Act of 2005, the 
Administrator shall submit to Congress a report on the progress made by 
the National Driver Licensing and Education with respect to the 
functions described in paragraph (2).''.
    (b) Grant Program for Improvement of Driver Education and 
Licensing.--
            (1) Authority.--Chapter 4 of title 23, United States Code, 
        is amended by adding at the end the following:
``Sec. 412. Driver education and licensing
    ``(a) Authority.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall establish a program 
        to provide grants to States to--
                    ``(A) improve motor vehicle driver education 
                programs; and
                    ``(B) establish and improve the administration of 
                graduated licensing systems, including systems 
                described in section 410(b)(1)(D).
            ``(2) Program administration.--The Secretary shall 
        administer the program established under this section through 
        the National Driver Licensing and Education Improvement 
        Program.
    ``(b) Rulemaking.--
            ``(1) Eligibility requirements.--Not later than 18 months 
        after the date of enactment of this section, the Secretary 
        shall issue regulations, which describe the eligibility 
        requirements, application and approval procedures and 
        standards, and authorized uses of grant funds awarded under 
        this section.
            ``(2) Use of funds.--The regulations issued under this 
        subsection shall authorize the use of grant funds--
                    ``(A) for quality assurance testing, including 
                followup testing to monitor the effectiveness of--
                            ``(i) driver licensing and education 
                        programs;
                            ``(ii) instructor certification testing; 
                        and
                            ``(iii) other statistical research designed 
                        to evaluate the performance of driver education 
                        and licensing programs;
                    ``(B) to improve motor vehicle driver education 
                curricula;
                    ``(C) to train instructors for motor vehicle driver 
                education programs;
                    ``(D) to test and evaluate motor vehicle driver 
                performance;
                    ``(E) for public education and outreach regarding 
                motor vehicle driver education and licensing; and
                    ``(F) to improve State graduated licensing programs 
                and carry out related enforcement activities.
            ``(3) Consultation requirement.--In prescribing regulations 
        under this subsection, the Secretary shall consult with--
                    ``(A) the heads of such Federal departments and 
                agencies as the Secretary considers appropriate on the 
                basis of relevant interests or expertise;
                    ``(B) appropriate officials of the governments of 
                States and political subdivisions of States; and
                    ``(C) other experts and organizations recognized 
                for expertise, with respect to novice drivers, in--
                            ``(i) graduated driver licensing;
                            ``(ii) publicly administered driver 
                        education; or
                            ``(iii) privately administered driver 
                        education.
    ``(c) Matching Requirement.--The amount of grant funds awarded for 
a program, project, or activity under this section may not exceed 75 
percent of the total cost of such program, project, or activity.
    ``(d) Prohibited Activities.--Grant funds provided to States under 
this section may not be used to finance--
            ``(1) the day-to-day operational expenses, including 
        employee salaries and facilities costs, of publicly or 
        privately administered driver education programs; or
            ``(2) the activities described in subparagraphs (A) through 
        (C) of subsection (b)(2) in fiscal year 2006 or 2007.''.
            (2) Clerical amendment.--The table of sections at the 
        beginning of chapter 4 of title 23, United States Code, is 
        amended by adding at the end the following:

``412. Driver education and licensing.''.
    (c) Study of National Driver Education Standards.--
            (1) Requirement for study.--The Secretary of Transportation 
        shall conduct a study to determine whether the establishment 
        and imposition of nationwide minimum standards of motor vehicle 
        driver education would improve national highway traffic safety 
        or the performance and legal compliance of novice drivers.
            (2) Time for completion of study.--The Secretary shall 
        complete the study not later than 2 years after the date of 
        enactment of this Act.
            (3) Report.--The Secretary shall publish a report on the 
        results of the study under this section not later than 2 years 
        after the study is completed.
    (d) Authorization of Appropriations.--
            (1) In general.--There are authorized to be appropriated 
        $25,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2006 through 2010 to 
        carry out section 412 of title 23, United States Code, as added 
        by subsection (b).
            (2) Availability.--Funds appropriated pursuant to paragraph 
        (1) for fiscal years 2006 and 2007 may be used for the National 
        Driver Licensing and Education Improvement Program established 
        under section 105(f) of title 49, United States Code.
    (e) Grants for Support of Alcohol-Impaired Driving 
Countermeasures.--
            (1) Revised eligibility requirements.--Section 410(b)(1)(D) 
        of title 23, United States Code, is amended to read as follows:
                    ``(D) Graduated licensing system.--A multiple-stage 
                graduated licensing system for young drivers that--
                            ``(i) authorizes the issuance of an initial 
                        license or learner's permit to a driver on or 
                        after the driver's 16th birthday;
                            ``(ii) makes it unlawful for a person under 
                        age 21 to operate a motor vehicle with a blood 
                        alcohol concentration of .02 percent or 
                        greater;
                            ``(iii) provides for a learning stage of at 
                        least 6 months and an intermediate stage of at 
                        least 6 months; and
                            ``(iv) applies the following restrictions 
                        and features to the stages described in clause 
                        (iii) and to such other stage or stages as may 
                        be provided under State law:
                                    ``(I) A restriction that not more 
                                than 2 passengers under age 18 may 
                                occupy a vehicle while it is being 
                                operated by a young driver.
                                    ``(II) Nighttime driving 
                                restrictions applicable, at a minimum, 
                                during the hours between 10:00 p.m. and 
                                5:00 a.m.
                                    ``(III) Special penalties 
                                (including delays in progression 
                                through the stages of the graduated 
                                licensing system) for violations of 
                                restrictions under the system and 
                                violations of other State laws relating 
                                to operation of motor vehicles.''.
            (2) Effective date.--The amendment made by paragraph (1) 
        shall take effect 1 year after the date of enactment of this 
        Act.