House File 2197 - Introduced HOUSE FILE 2197 BY SCHULTZ , HEARTSILL , GASSMAN , SHEETS , ALONS , SHAW , VANDER LINDEN , and WATTS A BILL FOR An Act relating to intermediate driver’s licenses and special 1 minor’s licenses, and including effective date provisions. 2 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 3 TLSB 5664YH (4) 85 dea/nh

H.F. 2197 Section 1. Section 321.180B, subsection 2, paragraph a, 1 Code 2014, is amended to read as follows: 2 a. The department may issue an intermediate driver’s license 3 to a person sixteen or seventeen years of age who possesses an 4 instruction permit issued under subsection 1 or a comparable 5 instruction permit issued by another state for a minimum of 6 twelve six months immediately preceding application, and 7 who presents an affidavit signed by a parent, guardian, or 8 custodian on a form to be provided by the department that the 9 permittee has accumulated a total of twenty hours of street 10 or highway driving of which two hours were conducted after 11 sunset and before sunrise and the street or highway driving was 12 with the permittee’s parent, guardian, custodian, instructor, 13 a person certified by the department, or a person at least 14 twenty-five years of age who had written permission from a 15 parent, guardian, or custodian to accompany the permittee, and 16 whose driving privileges have not been suspended, revoked, 17 or barred under this chapter or chapter 321J during, and who 18 has been accident and violation free continuously for, the 19 six-month period immediately preceding the application for an 20 intermediate license. An applicant for an intermediate license 21 must meet the requirements of section 321.186 , including 22 satisfactory completion of driver education as required in 23 section 321.178 or 321.178A, and payment of the required 24 license fee before an intermediate license will be issued. A 25 person issued an intermediate license must limit the number of 26 passengers in the motor vehicle when the intermediate licensee 27 is operating the motor vehicle to the number of passenger 28 safety belts. In addition, unless waived by the person’s 29 parent or guardian at the time the intermediate license is 30 issued, for the first six months following issuance of the 31 license, a person issued an intermediate license must limit the 32 number of unrelated minor passengers in the motor vehicle when 33 the intermediate licensee is operating the motor vehicle to 34 one, except when the intermediate licensee is accompanied in 35 -1- LSB 5664YH (4) 85 dea/nh 1/ 3

H.F. 2197 accordance with subsection 1 . For purposes of this subsection , 1 “unrelated minor passenger” means a passenger who is under 2 eighteen years of age and who is not a sibling of the driver, a 3 stepsibling of the driver, or a child who resides in the same 4 household as the driver. The department shall prescribe the 5 form for waiver of the six-month restriction on unrelated minor 6 passengers, which may be in an electronic format, and shall 7 designate characteristics for the intermediate license that 8 shall distinguish between an intermediate license that includes 9 the six-month restriction on unrelated minor passengers and 10 an intermediate license that does not include the six-month 11 restriction on unrelated minor passengers. 12 Sec. 2. Section 321.194, subsection 1, paragraph b, Code 13 2014, is amended by striking the paragraph. 14 Sec. 3. EFFECTIVE UPON ENACTMENT. This Act, being deemed of 15 immediate importance, takes effect upon enactment. 16 EXPLANATION 17 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 18 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 19 This bill reverses changes made by 2013 Iowa Acts, 20 chapter 80, which took effect on January 1, 2014, and amended 21 provisions relating to young drivers licensed under the 22 graduated driver licensing program or issued a special minor’s 23 license to travel to and from school. 24 The bill reduces the amount of time a person 16 or 17 years 25 of age is required to possess an instruction permit before 26 qualifying for an intermediate license from 12 months to six 27 months. The bill also repeals the limit on the number of 28 unrelated minor passengers allowed in a vehicle driven by a 29 person with an intermediate license during the first six months 30 of licensure or driven by a person with a special minor’s 31 license. Currently, such drivers are not allowed to have 32 more than one unrelated minor passenger in the motor vehicle 33 unless accompanied by a licensed driver who is the intermediate 34 licensee’s parent, guardian, or custodian; a family member 35 -2- LSB 5664YH (4) 85 dea/nh 2/ 3

H.F. 2197 who is at least 21 years of age; an approved driver education 1 instructor; a prospective driver education instructor who is 2 enrolled in a qualifying practitioner preparation program; or a 3 person at least 25 years of age who has the written permission 4 of the parent, guardian, or custodian. If the driver is an 5 intermediate licensee, the passenger restriction may be waived 6 by the licensee’s parent or guardian. 7 The bill takes effect upon enactment. 8 -3- LSB 5664YH (4) 85 dea/nh 3/ 3