II 

109TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 563 

To improve driver licensing and education, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 8, 2005 

Mr. DEWINE (for himself and Mr. ROCKEFELLER) introduced the following 

bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, 

Science, and Transportation 

A BILL 

To improve driver licensing and education, and for other 

purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Driver Licensing and 

5 Education Improvement Act of 2005’’. 

6 SEC. 2. DRIVER LICENSING AND EDUCATION. 

7 (a) NATIONAL DRIVER LICENSING AND EDUCATION

8 IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM.—Section 105 of title 49, 

9 United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the 

10 following: 
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1 ‘‘(f)(1) There is established, within the National 

2 Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the National 

3 Driver Licensing and Education Improvement Program. 

4 ‘‘(2) The National Driver Licensing and Education 

5 Improvement Program shall— 

6 ‘‘(A) provide States with services for coordi7 nating the motor vehicle driver education and licens8 ing programs of the States; 

9 ‘‘(B) develop, and make available to the States, 

10 a cooperatively developed, research-based model for 

11 novice driver motor vehicle driver education and 

12 graduated licensing that incorporates the best prac13 tices in driver education and graduated licensing; 

14 ‘‘(C) carry out such research and undertake 

15 such other activities that the Administrator deter16 mines appropriate to develop and continually im17 prove the model described in subparagraph (B); 

18 ‘‘(D) provide States with voluntary technical as19 sistance for the implementation and deployment of 

20 the model described in subparagraph (B) through 

21 pilot programs and other means; 

22 ‘‘(E) develop and recommend to the States 

23 methods for harmonizing the presentation of motor 

24 vehicle driver education and licensing with the re25 quirements of multistage graduated licensing sys-
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1 tems, including systems described in section 

2 410(b)(1)(D) of title 23, and to demonstrate and 

3 evaluate the effectiveness of those methods in se4 lected States; 

5 ‘‘(F) develop programs identifying best prac6 tices for the certification of driver education instruc7 tors; 

8 ‘‘(G) provide States with financial assistance 

9 under section 412 of title 23 for— 

10 ‘‘(i) the implementation of the motor vehi11 cle driver education and licensing comprehen12 sive model recommended under subparagraph 

13 (B); 

14 ‘‘(ii) the establishment or improved admin15 istration of multistage graduated licensing sys16 tems; and 

17 ‘‘(iii) the support of other improvements in 

18 motor vehicle driver education and licensing 

19 programs; 

20 ‘‘(H) evaluate the effectiveness of the com21 prehensive model recommended under subparagraph 

22 (B); and 

23 ‘‘(I) perform such other functions relating to 

24 motor vehicle driver education or licensing as the 

25 Secretary may require. 
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1 ‘‘(3) Not later than 3 years after the date of enact2 ment of the Driver Licensing and Education Improvement 

3 Act of 2005, the Administrator shall submit to Congress 

4 a report on the progress made by the National Driver Li5 censing and Education with respect to the functions de6 scribed in paragraph (2).’’. 

7 (b) GRANT PROGRAM FOR IMPROVEMENT OF DRIVER

8 EDUCATION AND LICENSING.— 

9 (1) AUTHORITY.—Chapter 4 of title 23, United 

10 States Code, is amended by adding at the end the 

11 following: 

12 ‘‘§ 412. Driver education and licensing 

13 ‘‘(a) AUTHORITY.— 

14 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall estab15 lish a program to provide grants to States to— 

16 ‘‘(A) improve motor vehicle driver edu17 cation programs; and 

18 ‘‘(B) establish and improve the administra19 tion of graduated licensing systems, including 

20 systems described in section 410(b)(1)(D). 

21 ‘‘(2) PROGRAM ADMINISTRATION.—The Sec22 retary shall administer the program established 

23 under this section through the National Driver Li24 censing and Education Improvement Program. 

25 ‘‘(b) RULEMAKING.— 
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1 ‘‘(1) ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS.—Not later 

2 than 18 months after the date of enactment of this 

3 section, the Secretary shall issue regulations, which 

4 describe the eligibility requirements, application and 

5 approval procedures and standards, and authorized 

6 uses of grant funds awarded under this section. 

7 ‘‘(2) USE OF FUNDS.—The regulations issued 

8 under this subsection shall authorize the use of 

9 grant funds— 

10 ‘‘(A) for quality assurance testing, includ11 ing followup testing to monitor the effectiveness 

12 of— 

13 ‘‘(i) driver licensing and education 

14 programs; 

15 ‘‘(ii) instructor certification testing; 

16 and 

17 ‘‘(iii) other statistical research de18 signed to evaluate the performance of driv19 er education and licensing programs; 

20 ‘‘(B) to improve motor vehicle driver edu21 cation curricula; 

22 ‘‘(C) to train instructors for motor vehicle 

23 driver education programs; 

24 ‘‘(D) to test and evaluate motor vehicle 

25 driver performance; 
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1 ‘‘(E) for public education and outreach re2 garding motor vehicle driver education and li3 censing; and 

4 ‘‘(F) to improve State graduated licensing 

5 programs and carry out related enforcement ac6 tivities. 

7 ‘‘(3) CONSULTATION REQUIREMENT.—In pre8 scribing regulations under this subsection, the Sec9 retary shall consult with— 

10 ‘‘(A) the heads of such Federal depart11 ments and agencies as the Secretary considers 

12 appropriate on the basis of relevant interests or 

13 expertise; 

14 ‘‘(B) appropriate officials of the govern15 ments of States and political subdivisions of 

16 States; and 

17 ‘‘(C) other experts and organizations rec18 ognized for expertise, with respect to novice 

19 drivers, in— 

20 ‘‘(i) graduated driver licensing; 

21 ‘‘(ii) publicly administered driver edu22 cation; or 

23 ‘‘(iii) privately administered driver 

24 education. 
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1 ‘‘(c) MATCHING REQUIREMENT.—The amount of 

2 grant funds awarded for a program, project, or activity 

3 under this section may not exceed 75 percent of the total 

4 cost of such program, project, or activity. 

5 ‘‘(d) PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES.—Grant funds pro6 vided to States under this section may not be used to fi7 nance— 

8 ‘‘(1) the day-to-day operational expenses, in9 cluding employee salaries and facilities costs, of pub10 licly or privately administered driver education pro11 grams; or 

12 ‘‘(2) the activities described in subparagraphs 

13 (A) through (C) of subsection (b)(2) in fiscal year 

14 2006 or 2007.’’. 

15 (2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sec16 tions at the beginning of chapter 4 of title 23, 

17 United States Code, is amended by adding at the 

18 end the following: 

‘‘412. Driver education and licensing.’’. 

19 (c) STUDY OF NATIONAL DRIVER EDUCATION

20 STANDARDS.— 

21 (1) REQUIREMENT FOR STUDY.—The Secretary 

22 of Transportation shall conduct a study to determine 

23 whether the establishment and imposition of nation24 wide minimum standards of motor vehicle driver 

25 education would improve national highway traffic 
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1 safety or the performance and legal compliance of 

2 novice drivers. 

3 (2) TIME FOR COMPLETION OF STUDY.—The 

4 Secretary shall complete the study not later than 2 

5 years after the date of enactment of this Act. 

6 (3) REPORT.—The Secretary shall publish a re7 port on the results of the study under this section 

8 not later than 2 years after the study is completed. 

9 (d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

10 (1) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be 

11 appropriated $25,000,000 for each of the fiscal 

12 years 2006 through 2010 to carry out section 412 

13 of title 23, United States Code, as added by sub14 section (b). 

15 (2) AVAILABILITY.—Funds appropriated pursu16 ant to paragraph (1) for fiscal years 2006 and 2007 

17 may be used for the National Driver Licensing and 

18 Education Improvement Program established under 

19 section 105(f) of title 49, United States Code. 

20 (e) GRANTS FOR SUPPORT OF ALCOHOL-IMPAIRED

21 DRIVING COUNTERMEASURES.— 

22 (1) REVISED ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS.— 

23 Section 410(b)(1)(D) of title 23, United States 

24 Code, is amended to read as follows: 
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1 ‘‘(D) GRADUATED LICENSING SYSTEM.—A 

2 multiple-stage graduated licensing system for 

3 young drivers that— 

4 ‘‘(i) authorizes the issuance of an ini5 tial license or learner’s permit to a driver 

6 on or after the driver’s 16th birthday; 

7 ‘‘(ii) makes it unlawful for a person 

8 under age 21 to operate a motor vehicle 

9 with a blood alcohol concentration of .02 

10 percent or greater; 

11 ‘‘(iii) provides for a learning stage of 

12 at least 6 months and an intermediate 

13 stage of at least 6 months; and 

14 ‘‘(iv) applies the following restrictions 

15 and features to the stages described in 

16 clause (iii) and to such other stage or 

17 stages as may be provided under State law: 

18 ‘‘(I) A restriction that not more 

19 than 2 passengers under age 18 may 

20 occupy a vehicle while it is being oper21 ated by a young driver. 

22 ‘‘(II) Nighttime driving restric23 tions applicable, at a minimum, dur24 ing the hours between 10:00 p.m. and 

25 5:00 a.m. 
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1 ‘‘(III) Special penalties (includ2 ing delays in progression through the 

3 stages of the graduated licensing sys4 tem) for violations of restrictions 

5 under the system and violations of 

6 other State laws relating to operation 

7 of motor vehicles.’’. 

8 (2) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made 

9 by paragraph (1) shall take effect 1 year after the 

10 date of enactment of this Act. 

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