| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to persons with disabilities; requiring |
| 3 | law enforcement agencies to report certain criminal |
| 4 | activity and enforcement of certain regulations to the |
| 5 | Department of Law Enforcement and the Department of |
| 6 | Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles; amending s. 322.12, |
| 7 | F.S.; providing requirements for examination questions |
| 8 | pertaining to traffic regulations relating to blind |
| 9 | pedestrians; amending s. 322.095, F.S.; requiring certain |
| 10 | traffic law education programs to include the study of |
| 11 | traffic laws to assist blind persons; amending s. 943.17, |
| 12 | F.S.; requiring the basic skills course required in order |
| 13 | for law enforcement officers to obtain certification to |
| 14 | include the study of traffic laws to assist blind persons; |
| 15 | amending s. 1003.48, F.S.; requiring driver education |
| 16 | programs to include study of traffic laws to assist blind |
| 17 | persons; providing an effective date. |
| 18 |
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| 19 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 20 |
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| 21 | Section 1. Law enforcement reports.-Each month, each law |
| 22 | enforcement agency in the state shall report crimes affecting |
| 23 | persons with disabilities to the Department of Law Enforcement |
| 24 | and report its enforcement of traffic regulations to assist |
| 25 | blind persons to the Department of Highway Safety and Motor |
| 26 | Vehicles. The report to the Department of Highway Safety and |
| 27 | Motor Vehicles shall include incidents of crashes involving |
| 28 | blind persons. The Department of Law Enforcement and the |
| 29 | Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles shall each |
| 30 | provide procedures for the collection and maintenance of the |
| 31 | reports in the same manner as other criminal activity and |
| 32 | enforcement reports are collected and maintained by that |
| 33 | department. |
| 34 | Section 2. Subsection (6) is added to section 322.12, |
| 35 | Florida Statutes, to read: |
| 36 | 322.12 Examination of applicants.- |
| 37 | (6) Each examination given for a Class E driver's license |
| 38 | or a commercial driver's license under this section must include |
| 39 | one question testing the applicant's knowledge of traffic |
| 40 | regulations to assist blind persons. To pass the examination, |
| 41 | the applicant must answer that question on the examination |
| 42 | correctly. In developing questions under this subsection, the |
| 43 | department shall emphasize pedestrian right of way when a driver |
| 44 | is making a right turn at an intersection. |
| 45 | Section 3. Subsection (1) of section 322.095, Florida |
| 46 | Statutes, is amended to read: |
| 47 | 322.095 Traffic law and substance abuse education program |
| 48 | for driver's license applicants.- |
| 49 | (1) The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles |
| 50 | must approve traffic law and substance abuse education courses |
| 51 | that must be completed by applicants for a Florida driver's |
| 52 | license. The curricula for the courses must provide instruction |
| 53 | on the physiological and psychological consequences of the abuse |
| 54 | of alcohol and other drugs, the societal and economic costs of |
| 55 | alcohol and drug abuse, the effects of alcohol and drug abuse on |
| 56 | the driver of a motor vehicle, and the laws of this state |
| 57 | relating to the operation of a motor vehicle. The curricula must |
| 58 | also include the study of traffic laws to assist blind persons. |
| 59 | All instructors teaching the courses shall be certified by the |
| 60 | department. |
| 61 | Section 4. Subsection (5) of section 943.17, Florida |
| 62 | Statutes, is amended to read: |
| 63 | 943.17 Basic recruit, advanced, and career development |
| 64 | training programs; participation; cost; evaluation.-The |
| 65 | commission shall, by rule, design, implement, maintain, |
| 66 | evaluate, and revise entry requirements and job-related |
| 67 | curricula and performance standards for basic recruit, advanced, |
| 68 | and career development training programs and courses. The rules |
| 69 | shall include, but are not limited to, a methodology to assess |
| 70 | relevance of the subject matter to the job, student performance, |
| 71 | and instructor competency. |
| 72 | (5) The commission, in consultation with the Florida |
| 73 | Violent Crime and Drug Control Council, shall establish |
| 74 | standards for basic and advanced training programs for law |
| 75 | enforcement officers in the subjects of investigating and |
| 76 | preventing violent crime. The curricula of every basic skills |
| 77 | course required in order for law enforcement officers to obtain |
| 78 | initial certification must include the study of traffic laws to |
| 79 | assist blind persons. After January 1, 1995, every basic skills |
| 80 | course required in order for law enforcement officers to obtain |
| 81 | initial certification must include training on violent crime |
| 82 | prevention and investigations. |
| 83 | Section 5. Subsection (1) of section 1003.48, Florida |
| 84 | Statutes, is amended to read: |
| 85 | 1003.48 Instruction in operation of motor vehicles.- |
| 86 | (1) A course of study and instruction in the safe and |
| 87 | lawful operation of a motor vehicle shall be made available by |
| 88 | each district school board to students in the secondary schools |
| 89 | in the state. As used in this section, the term "motor vehicle" |
| 90 | shall have the same meaning as in s. 320.01(1)(a) and shall |
| 91 | include motorcycles and mopeds. Instruction in motorcycle or |
| 92 | moped operation may be limited to classroom instruction. The |
| 93 | curricula of every course must include the study of traffic laws |
| 94 | to assist blind persons. The course shall not be made a part of, |
| 95 | or a substitute for, any of the minimum requirements for |
| 96 | graduation. |
| 97 | Section 6. This act shall take effect July 1, 2011. |