Senate Bill sb2672c1

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    Florida Senate - 2006                           CS for SB 2672

    By the Committee on Transportation; and Senator Crist





    596-2423-06

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to driver licenses; amending s.

  3         322.18, F.S.; limiting the duration of licenses

  4         issued to certain applicants; providing

  5         expiration, examination, and renewal

  6         requirements for driver's licenses issued to

  7         persons over a specified age; providing renewal

  8         fee waivers for certain licenses; eliminating

  9         an age requirement relating to vision tests;

10         requiring a vision test for all renewals of a

11         license; providing for submission of test

12         results by a physician, ophthalmologist, or

13         optometrist; requiring such submission prior to

14         a licensee using certain renewal procedures;

15         providing an effective date.

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17  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

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19         Section 1.  Paragraphs (a) and (b) of subsection (2)

20  and paragraphs (a) and (b) of subsection (5) of section

21  322.18, Florida Statutes, are amended, and paragraph (f) is

22  added to subsection (2) of that section, to read:

23         322.18  Original applications, licenses, and renewals;

24  expiration of licenses; delinquent licenses.--

25         (2)  Each applicant who is entitled to the issuance of

26  a driver's license, as provided in this section, shall be

27  issued a driver's license, as follows:

28         (a)  An applicant applying for an original issuance

29  shall be issued a driver's license which expires at midnight

30  on the licensee's birthday which next occurs on or after the

31  sixth anniversary of the date of issue. However, a driver's

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    Florida Senate - 2006                           CS for SB 2672
    596-2423-06




 1  license may not be issued for a period that exceeds an

 2  applicant's 80th birthday, except as provided in paragraph

 3  (f).

 4         (b)  An applicant applying for a renewal issuance or

 5  renewal extension shall be issued a driver's license or

 6  renewal extension sticker which expires at midnight on the

 7  licensee's birthday which next occurs 4 years after the month

 8  of expiration of the license being renewed, except that a

 9  driver whose driving record reflects no convictions for the

10  preceding 3 years shall be issued a driver's license or

11  renewal extension sticker which expires at midnight on the

12  licensee's birthday which next occurs 6 years after the month

13  of expiration of the license being renewed. However, a

14  driver's license may not be issued for a period that exceeds

15  an applicant's 80th birthday, except as provided in paragraph

16  (f).

17         (f)  Notwithstanding any other provision of this

18  chapter, the driver's license of any person expires at

19  midnight on the licensee's 80th birthday. A license issued to

20  a person after that person's 80th birthday shall expire at

21  midnight on the licensee's birthday that next occurs 4 years

22  after the month of expiration of the license being renewed. A

23  driver's license that expires pursuant to this paragraph may

24  be renewed up to 12 months before the 80th birthday if the

25  applicant applying for renewal passes an eye and hearing

26  examination as provided in s. 322.121. Renewal fees for all

27  driver's licenses that expire pursuant to this paragraph are

28  waived if the applicant has a valid driver's license held for

29  fewer than 4 years.

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    Florida Senate - 2006                           CS for SB 2672
    596-2423-06




 1         (5)  All renewal driver's licenses may be issued after

 2  the applicant licensee has been determined to be eligible by

 3  the department.

 4         (a)  A licensee who is otherwise eligible for renewal

 5  and who is over 79 years of age:

 6         1.  Must submit to and pass a vision test administered

 7  at any driver's license office; or

 8         2.  Must, if the licensee applies for an extension by

 9  mail as provided in subsection (8), must submit to a vision

10  test administered by a physician or ophthalmologist licensed

11  under chapter 458 or chapter 459, or an optometrist licensed

12  under chapter 463, no more than 12 months prior to the date of

13  the application for extension, must send the results of that

14  test to the department on a form obtained from the department

15  and signed by such health care practitioner, and must meet

16  vision standards that are equivalent to the standards for

17  passing the departmental vision test. The physician,

18  ophthalmologist, or optometrist may submit the results of a

19  vision test by a department-approved electronic means.

20         (b)  A licensee who is over 79 years of age may not

21  submit an application for extension under subsection (8) by

22  electronic or telephonic means, unless the results of a vision

23  test have been electronically submitted in advance by the

24  physician, ophthalmologist, or optometrist.

25         Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2006.

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    Florida Senate - 2006                           CS for SB 2672
    596-2423-06




 1          STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
                       COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
 2                         Senate Bill 2672

 3                                 

 4  This CS provides the following changes:

 5  --   Eliminates the age-based schedule for licensees;

 6  --   Provides a driver's license expires on a licensee's 80th
         birthday;
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    --   Provides for a 4-year license renewal period (with
 8       examination) for persons over 80 years of age;

 9  --   Waives renewal fees for drivers having a license held for
         less than 4 years prior to their 80th birthday; and
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    --   Allows the results of a vision exam done up to 12 months
11       prior to the date of the renewal application to be
         submitted.
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