An Act to amend the District of Columbia Traffic Act, 1925, as amended
PL 83-596 (S.1585), enacted 08/16/1954

732 
August 16, 1954 
[S. 1585] 
D, C. T r a f f i c 
Act, 1925, amend-
ments. 
Operator's per-
mit. 
62 Stat. 173. 
62 Stat. 173. 
Learner's permit. 
Military duty out-
side D. C. 
P e r m i t 
exten-
sion. 
Contents of per-
mit. 
Repeal. 
PUBLIC LAW 596-AUG. 16, 1954 
[68 S T A T . 
Public Law 596 
C H A P T E R 741 
AN ACT 
To amend the District of Columbia Traffic Act, 1925, as amended. 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assew^hled, That paragraph (1) 
of subsection (a) of section 7 of the District of Columbia Traffic Act, 
1925 (43 Stat. 1121), as amended (sec. 40-301 (a) (1), D. C. Code, 
1951 edition), is amended (a) by striking from the first sentence thereof 
so much as reads "Upon application made under oath and the payment 
of the fee hereinafter prescribed, the Commissioners or their desig-
nated agent shall issue a motor vehicle operator's permit to any indi-
vidual" and inserting in lieu thereof "The Commissioners or their 
designated agent shall, upon application, the payment of a fee of $3, 
and compliance with such regulations as the Commissioners or their 
designated agent may prescribe, issue a motor vehicle operator's permit 
valid for a period not in excess of three years, to any individual sixteen 
years of age or over"; (b) by inserting in the second sentence thereof 
after "give a practical demonstration" the following ", or produce 
evidence acceptable to the Commissioners or their designated agent,"; 
(c) by striking from the second sentence thereof so much as reads 
"and in the presence of such individuals as may be authorized to con-
duct the demonstration"; (d) by striking therefrom the fourth, fifth, 
and sixth sentences; and (e) by striking from the last sentence thereof 
the colon and proviso, and inserting in lieu thereof "and not for 
compensation." 
SEC. 2. Paragraph (2) of subsection (a) of section 7 of such Act (43 
Stat. 1121), as amended (sec. 40-301 (a) (2), D. C. Code, 1951 edi-
tion), is amended to read as follows: 
"(2) The Commissioners or their designated agent may, upon 
application and the payment of a fee of $1, issue a learner's permit, 
valid for a period of sixty days, to any applicant for a motor vehicle 
operator's permit, sixteen years of age or over, who has successfully 
passed all parts of the examination other than the driving demon-
stration test. 
Such permit shall entitle the permittee, while having 
such permit in his immediate possession, to operate a passenger motor 
vehicle, used solely for purposes of pleasure and not for compensa-
tion, when accompanied by the holder of a valid District motor vehicle 
operator's permit who is occupying a seat beside such permittee." 
SEC. 3. Subsection (a) of section 7 of such Act (43 Stat. 1121), 
as amended (sec. 40-301 (a), D. C. Code, 1951 edition), is amended 
by adding at the end thereof a new paragraph to read as follows: 
"(6) Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection, the Com-
missioners or their designated agent may, upon compliance with such 
regulations as they or their designated agent may prescribe, extend 
for a period not in excess of six years the validity of the operator's 
permit of any person who is a resident of the District and who is 
on active duty outside the District in the Armed Forces or the Mer-
chant Marine of the United States and who was at the time of leaving 
the District the holder of a valid operator's permit." 
SEC. 4. Subsection (b) of section 7 of such Act (43 Stat. 1122), as 
amended (sec. 40-301 (b), D. C. Code, 1951 edition), is amended to 
read: 
"(b) Each operator's permit shall state the name and address of 
the permittee, together with such other matter as the Commissioners 
or their designated agent may by regulation prescribe, and shall 
bear the signature of the permittee." 
SEC. 5. Subsection (d) of section 7 of such Act (43 Stat. 1122), as 
amended (sec. 40-301 (d), D. C. Code, 1951 edition), is repealed, and 
68 S T A T . ] 
PUBLIC LAW 5 9 6 - A U G . 16, 1954 
738 
subsections (e) and (f) of section 7 of such Act, as amended, are 
redesignated subsections (d) and (e), respectively. 
SEC. 6. Subsection (a) of section 8 of such Act (43 Stat. 1123), 
as amended (sec. 40-303 (a), D. C. Code, 1951 edition), is amended 
to read as follows: 
"(a) The owner or operator of any motor vehicle who is not a legal 
Exem^t^n"*from 
resident of the District, and who has complied with the laws of any registration, etc 
State, Territory, or possession of the United States, or of a foreign 
country or political subdivision thereof, in respect of the registration 
of motor vehicles and the licensing of operators thereof, shall, subject 
to the provisions of this section, be exempt from compliance with 
section 7 and with any provision of law or regulation requiring the 
registration of motor vehicles or the display of identification tags in 
the District. 
Such exemption shall cover the period immediately ei^uon!"* °^ ** 
following the entrance of such owner or operator into the District 
Reciproc ai 
equal to the period for which the Commissioners or their designated ^^'•^*'"*" ^• 
agent have previously found that a similar privilege is extended to 
legal residents of the District by such State, Territory, or possession of 
the United States, or foreign country or political subdivision thereof. 
The Commissioners or their designated agent shall from time to time 
ascertain such privileges and cause their or his findings to be promul-
gated. When the laws of any State, Territory, or possession of the 
United States or of a foreign country or of a political subdivision 
thereof contain a reciprocity provision similar to that hereinabove 
set forth, or the privilege extended to a legal resident of the District 
is for the remaining portion of the current District of Columbia 
registration year, then the owner of any motor vehicle who is a legal 
resident of such State, Territory, or possession of the United States, 
or of a foreign country or political subdivision thereof shall comply 
with the provisions of section 7 of this Act and with every other 
provision of law or regulation requiring the registration of motor 
vehicles and the display of identification tags in the District at the 
time of the expiration of the current motor vehicle registration 
issued to such owner by such State, Territory, or possession of the 
United States or a foreign country or political subdivision thereof, 
unless the Commissioners or their designated agent shall have entered 
into a reciprocal agreement or arrangement with the duly authorized 
representatives of such State, Territory, or possession of the United 
( 
States or a foreign country or political subdivision thereof, further to 
limit or to extend the period of time during which the validity of the 
motor vehicle registration and identification tags of such State, Terri-
tory, or possession of the United States or foreign country or political 
subdivision thereof shall be recognized by the District. The Commis-
sioners or their designated agent are hereby authorized and empow-
ered to enter into reciprocal agreements and arrangements as afore-
said. 
The following persons shall, with respect to the registration 
of motor vehicles and the licensing of operators thereof, if they have 
complied with the laws of the State, Territory, or possession from 
which they have been elected or appointed, or of which they are legal 
residents, be exempt during their respective terms of office or during 
the period of their employment as administrative employees from 
compliance with section 7 and with any other provision of law or 
regulation requiring the registration of motor vehicles and the display 
of identification tags in the District: Senators and Representatives 
in Congress; Delegates to Congress; Resident Commissioners; admin- ^^congressmen, 
istrative employees of Senators, Representatives, Delegates, and Resi-
dent Commissioners who are legal residents of the State, Territory, 
or possession from which said Senators, Representatives, Delegates, 
and Resident Commissioners have been elected or appointed; and 
734 
PUBLIC LAW 597-AUG. 17, 1954 
[68 S T A T . 
F l i g h t 
from 
scene of accident. 
Revoc a t i on of 
operator's permit, 
etc. 
Effective date. 
officers of the executive branch of the Government of the United States 
who are not domiciled within the District of Columbia, whose appoint-
ment to the office held by them was by the President of the United 
States, subject to confirmation by the Senate, and whose tenure of 
office is at the pleasure of the President." 
SEC. 7. Subsection (b) of section 10 of such Act (43 Stat. 1124), as 
amended (sec. 40-609 (b), D. C. Code, 1951 edition), is amended by 
striking the third sentence thereof. 
SEC. 8. Section 10 of such Act (43 Stat. 1124), as amended (sec. 
40-609, D. C. Code, 1951 edition), is amended by adding two new 
subsections " ( d ) " and " (e)", to read as follows: 
"(d) The Commissioners or their designated agent shall revoke the 
operator's permit or the privilege to drive a motor vehicle in the Dis-
trict of Columbia, or revoke both such permit and privilege, of any 
person who is convicted in the District of any of the following offenses: 
"(1) Operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of any 
intoxicating liquor or narcotic drug. 
" (2) Any homicide committed by means of a motor vehicle. 
" (3) Leaving the scene of an accident in which the motor vehicle 
driven by him was involved and in which there is bodily injury, 
without giving assistance or making known his identity and 
address and the identity and address of the owner of said 
vehicle. 
"(4) Reckless driving involving bodily injury. 
"(5) Any felony in the commission of which a motor vehicle is 
involved. 
"(e) Whenever a judgment of conviction of any offense set forth 
in subsection (d) has become final, the clerk of the court in which the 
judgment was entered shall certify such conviction to the Commis-
sioners or their designated agent, who shall thereupon take the action 
required by subsection (d) of this section. A judgment of conviction 
shall be deemed to have become final for the purposes of this 
subsection— 
"(1) if no appeal is taken from the judgment, upon the expira-
tion of the time within which an appeal could have been taken, or 
"(2) if an appeal is taken from the judgment, the date upon 
which the judgment, having been sustained, can no longer be 
appealed from or reviewed on a writ of certiorari." 
SEC. 9. This Act shall become effective thirty days after its 
enactment. 
Approved August 16, 1954. 
August 17, 1954 
[S. 3137] 
Public Law 597 
CHAPTER 751 
AN ACT 
To make the provisions of the Act of August 28, 1937, relating to the conservation 
of water resources in the arid and semiarid areas of the United States, 
applicable to the entire United States, and to increase and revise the limitation 
on aid available under the provisions of the said Act, and for other purposes. 
Water f a c i l i t y 
loans. 
16 u s e 
5 9 0 r -
S90x. 
16 u s e 590r. 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled^ That the Act entitled 
"An Act to promote conservation in the arid and semiarid areas of 
the United States by aiding in the development of facilities for water 
storage and utilization, and for other purposes", approved August 28, 
1937 (60 Stat. 869), is amended— 
(1) By deleting the phrase "in the arid and semiarid areas of the 
United States" from the first sentence in the first section: