House File 643 - Introduced HOUSE FILE 643 BY COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION (SUCCESSOR TO HSB 194) A BILL FOR An Act relating to driver’s licenses and nonoperator’s 1 identification cards marked to reflect deaf or 2 hard-of-hearing status. 3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 4 TLSB 2471HV (2) 88 ns/rh

H.F. 643 Section 1. Section 321.189, Code 2019, is amended by adding 1 the following new subsection: 2 NEW SUBSECTION . 9. Deaf or hard-of-hearing status. A 3 licensee who is a deaf person or a hard-of-hearing person, 4 as those terms are defined in section 622B.1, may request 5 that the license be marked to reflect the licensee’s deaf or 6 hard-of-hearing status on the face of the license when the 7 licensee applies for the issuance or renewal of a license. 8 The department may adopt rules pursuant to chapter 17A 9 establishing criteria under which a license may be marked, 10 including requiring the licensee to submit medical proof of the 11 licensee’s deaf or hard-of-hearing status. When a driver’s 12 license is so marked, the licensee’s deaf or hard-of-hearing 13 status shall be noted in the electronic database used by 14 the department and law enforcement to access registration, 15 titling, and driver’s license information. The department, 16 in consultation with the commission of deaf services, shall 17 develop educational media to raise awareness of a licensee’s 18 ability to request the license be marked to reflect the 19 licensee’s deaf or hard-of-hearing status. 20 Sec. 2. Section 321.190, subsection 1, paragraph b, Code 21 2019, is amended by adding the following new subparagraph: 22 NEW SUBPARAGRAPH . (5) An applicant for a nonoperator’s 23 identification card who is a deaf person or a hard-of-hearing 24 person, as those terms are defined in section 622B.1, may 25 request that the card be marked to reflect the applicant’s deaf 26 or hard-of-hearing status on the face of the card when the 27 applicant applies for the issuance or renewal of a card. The 28 department may adopt rules pursuant to chapter 17A establishing 29 criteria under which a card may be marked, including requiring 30 the applicant to submit medical proof of the applicant’s deaf 31 or hard-of-hearing status. The department, in consultation 32 with the commission of deaf services, shall develop educational 33 media to raise awareness of an applicant’s ability to 34 request the card be marked to reflect the applicant’s deaf or 35 -1- LSB 2471HV (2) 88 ns/rh 1/ 2

H.F. 643 hard-of-hearing status. 1 EXPLANATION 2 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 3 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 4 This bill allows a person who is deaf or hard-of-hearing 5 to request that the person’s driver’s license be marked to 6 reflect the person’s deaf or hard-of-hearing status on the 7 face of the license when the person applies for the issuance 8 or renewal of a license. The bill authorizes the department 9 of transportation (DOT) to adopt rules establishing criteria 10 under which a license may be marked in this manner, including 11 requiring the person to submit medical proof of the person’s 12 deaf or hard-of-hearing status. When a driver’s license is 13 so marked, the licensee’s deaf or hard-of-hearing status 14 must be noted in the electronic database used by the DOT 15 and law enforcement to access registration, titling, and 16 driver’s license information. The bill requires the DOT, in 17 consultation with the commission of deaf services, to develop 18 educational media to raise awareness about the ability to 19 request such a mark on a license. 20 The bill applies similar provisions to nonoperator’s 21 identification cards, other than the requirement to note the 22 status in the electronic database. 23 -2- LSB 2471HV (2) 88 ns/rh 2/ 2