House File 574 - Introduced HOUSE FILE 574 BY COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION (SUCCESSOR TO HF 202) A BILL FOR An Act relating to the driving privileges of unsupervised 1 persons issued a special minor’s restricted driver’s 2 license, and making penalties applicable. 3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 4 TLSB 1114HV (2) 91 th/ns

H.F. 574 Section 1. Section 321.194, subsection 2, Code 2025, is 1 amended to read as follows: 2 2. Consent —— employment and established place of religious 3 worship . Prior to being authorized to operate a motor vehicle 4 unsupervised to a place of employment , or a location for 5 farm-related work while employed to work on a farm, or an 6 established place of religious worship, the applicant’s parent 7 or guardian must complete a written consent form prescribed by 8 the department. 9 a. The written consent form must include, at minimum, 10 the name and address of the applicant’s current place of 11 employment , or primary farm location, or established place of 12 religious worship, as applicable. 13 b. If the place of employment , or primary farm location , 14 or established place of religious worship changes, the parent 15 or guardian must complete a new written consent form prior 16 to the licensee being authorized to operate a motor vehicle 17 unsupervised to the new location. 18 c. While a licensee is operating a motor vehicle as 19 described in this subsection , the licensee shall carry a copy 20 of the written consent form in the vehicle and present the form 21 for inspection upon request by a certified peace officer. 22 Sec. 2. Section 321.194, subsection 4, paragraph b, 23 unnumbered paragraph 1, Code 2025, is amended to read as 24 follows: 25 A licensee may operate a motor vehicle unsupervised over 26 the most direct and accessible route between the licensee’s 27 residence, school of enrollment, location where the licensee 28 receives competent private instruction or independent private 29 instruction, place of employment, location for farm work or 30 farm-related work if the licensee resides on a farm or is 31 employed for compensation on a farm in this state, established 32 place of religious worship, and the closest service station, 33 for any of the following purposes, as applicable, provided 34 the driving distance between the point of origin and the 35 -1- LSB 1114HV (2) 91 th/ns 1/ 3

H.F. 574 destination is no more than twenty-five miles, and the licensee 1 is in immediate possession of the license card: 2 Sec. 3. Section 321.194, subsection 4, paragraph b, Code 3 2025, is amended by adding the following new subparagraph: 4 NEW SUBPARAGRAPH . (06) To attend religious worship 5 services or participate in volunteer service programs at the 6 licensee’s established place of religious worship, if approved 7 by the licensee’s parent or guardian pursuant to subsection 2. 8 Sec. 4. Section 321.194, subsection 5, paragraphs a and e, 9 Code 2025, are amended to read as follows: 10 a. Operate the motor vehicle except during the hour 11 before and after the beginning and end of the licensee’s duly 12 scheduled courses of instruction, extracurricular activities, 13 work shift, farm work, or farm-related work, religious worship 14 service, or volunteer service program, as applicable. 15 e. Operate a motor vehicle to the licensee’s place of 16 employment , or location for farm work or farm-related work , or 17 established place of religious worship unless the licensee’s 18 parent or guardian completed a written consent form and 19 the form is carried in the motor vehicle and available for 20 inspection in accordance with subsection 2 . 21 EXPLANATION 22 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 23 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 24 Under current law, a person between the ages of 14 and 18 25 is authorized to operate a motor vehicle without supervision 26 between certain approved locations, for certain activities, and 27 during certain times if the person (licensee) holds a special 28 minor’s restricted license. Certain further restrictions 29 exist for some licensees, including a requirement that the 30 licensee’s parent or guardian must complete a written consent 31 form prescribed by the department of transportation prior to 32 the licensee operating a vehicle unsupervised to a place of 33 employment. The consent form must be carried by the licensee 34 in the vehicle while operating the vehicle unsupervised and the 35 -2- LSB 1114HV (2) 91 th/ns 2/ 3

H.F. 574 licensee must present the form for inspection upon request by a 1 certified peace officer. 2 This bill adds established places of religious worship to 3 the list of approved driving locations. The bill authorizes 4 a licensee to operate a motor vehicle for the purposes of 5 attending religious worship services or participating in 6 volunteer service programs at the licensee’s established 7 place of religious worship during the hour before and after 8 the service or program. The licensee’s parent or guardian 9 must complete a consent form including the location of the 10 established place of religious worship, the form must be 11 carried by the licensee in the vehicle while operating the 12 vehicle unsupervised, and the licensee must present the form 13 for inspection upon request by a certified peace officer. In 14 accordance with current law, the driving distance between the 15 point of origin and the destination cannot be more than 25 16 miles. 17 A licensee who violates the restrictions of a special 18 minor’s restricted license commits a simple misdemeanor, 19 classified as a moving violation, punishable by a $70 scheduled 20 fine. Additionally, the department of transportation must 21 suspend the license for three months and is prohibited from 22 issuing an intermediate license to the person for an additional 23 three months following the person’s sixteenth birthday. 24 -3- LSB 1114HV (2) 91 th/ns 3/ 3