| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to persons with disabilities; |
| 3 | requiring law enforcement agencies to report certain |
| 4 | criminal activity and enforcement of certain laws to |
| 5 | the Department of Law Enforcement and the Department |
| 6 | of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles; amending s. |
| 7 | 322.12, F.S.; providing requirements for examination |
| 8 | questions pertaining to traffic laws relating to |
| 9 | legally blind and mobility impaired persons; amending |
| 10 | s. 322.095, F.S.; requiring certain traffic law |
| 11 | education programs to include the study of traffic |
| 12 | laws to assist legally blind and mobility impaired |
| 13 | persons; amending s. 943.17, F.S.; requiring the basic |
| 14 | skills course required in order for law enforcement |
| 15 | officers to obtain certification to include the study |
| 16 | of traffic laws to assist legally blind and mobility |
| 17 | impaired persons; amending s. 1003.48, F.S.; requiring |
| 18 | driver education programs to include study of traffic |
| 19 | laws to assist legally blind and mobility impaired |
| 20 | persons; providing an effective date. |
| 21 |
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| 22 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 23 |
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| 24 | Section 1. Law enforcement reports.-Each month, each law |
| 25 | enforcement agency in the state shall report crimes affecting |
| 26 | persons with disabilities, legally blind persons, and persons |
| 27 | who are mobility impaired to the Department of Law Enforcement |
| 28 | and report its enforcement of s. 316.1301, Florida Statutes, and |
| 29 | traffic laws to assist legally blind and mobility impaired |
| 30 | persons to the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. |
| 31 | The report to the Department of Highway Safety and Motor |
| 32 | Vehicles shall include incidents of crashes involving legally |
| 33 | blind persons and crashes involving mobility impaired persons. |
| 34 | The Department of Law Enforcement and the Department of Highway |
| 35 | Safety and Motor Vehicles shall each provide procedures for the |
| 36 | collection and maintenance of the reports in the same manner as |
| 37 | other criminal activity and enforcement reports are collected |
| 38 | and maintained by that department. |
| 39 | Section 2. Subsection (6) is added to section 322.12, |
| 40 | Florida Statutes, to read: |
| 41 | 322.12 Examination of applicants.- |
| 42 | (6) Each examination given for a Class E driver license or |
| 43 | a commercial driver license under this section must include one |
| 44 | question testing the applicant's knowledge of s. 316.1301 and |
| 45 | traffic laws to assist legally blind and mobility impaired |
| 46 | persons. In developing questions under this subsection, the |
| 47 | department shall emphasize pedestrian right of way when a driver |
| 48 | is making a right turn at an intersection. |
| 49 | Section 3. Subsection (1) of section 322.095, Florida |
| 50 | Statutes, is amended to read: |
| 51 | 322.095 Traffic law and substance abuse education program |
| 52 | for driver driver's license applicants.- |
| 53 | (1) The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles |
| 54 | must approve traffic law and substance abuse education courses |
| 55 | that must be completed by applicants for a Florida driver |
| 56 | driver's license. The curricula for the courses must provide |
| 57 | instruction on the physiological and psychological consequences |
| 58 | of the abuse of alcohol and other drugs, the societal and |
| 59 | economic costs of alcohol and drug abuse, the effects of alcohol |
| 60 | and drug abuse on the driver of a motor vehicle, and the laws of |
| 61 | this state relating to the operation of a motor vehicle. The |
| 62 | curricula must also include the study of s. 316.1301 and traffic |
| 63 | laws to assist legally blind and mobility impaired persons. All |
| 64 | instructors teaching the courses shall be certified by the |
| 65 | department. |
| 66 | Section 4. Subsection (5) of section 943.17, Florida |
| 67 | Statutes, is amended to read: |
| 68 | 943.17 Basic recruit, advanced, and career development |
| 69 | training programs; participation; cost; evaluation.-The |
| 70 | commission shall, by rule, design, implement, maintain, |
| 71 | evaluate, and revise entry requirements and job-related |
| 72 | curricula and performance standards for basic recruit, advanced, |
| 73 | and career development training programs and courses. The rules |
| 74 | shall include, but are not limited to, a methodology to assess |
| 75 | relevance of the subject matter to the job, student performance, |
| 76 | and instructor competency. |
| 77 | (5) The commission, in consultation with the Florida |
| 78 | Violent Crime and Drug Control Council, shall establish |
| 79 | standards for basic and advanced training programs for law |
| 80 | enforcement officers in the subjects of investigating and |
| 81 | preventing violent crime. The curricula of every basic skills |
| 82 | course required in order for law enforcement officers to obtain |
| 83 | initial certification must include the study of s. 316.1301 and |
| 84 | traffic laws to assist legally blind and mobility impaired |
| 85 | persons. After January 1, 1995, every basic skills course |
| 86 | required in order for law enforcement officers to obtain initial |
| 87 | certification must include training on violent crime prevention |
| 88 | and investigations. |
| 89 | Section 5. Subsection (1) of section 1003.48, Florida |
| 90 | Statutes, is amended to read: |
| 91 | 1003.48 Instruction in operation of motor vehicles.- |
| 92 | (1) A course of study and instruction in the safe and |
| 93 | lawful operation of a motor vehicle shall be made available by |
| 94 | each district school board to students in the secondary schools |
| 95 | in the state. As used in this section, the term "motor vehicle" |
| 96 | shall have the same meaning as in s. 320.01(1)(a) and shall |
| 97 | include motorcycles and mopeds. Instruction in motorcycle or |
| 98 | moped operation may be limited to classroom instruction. The |
| 99 | curricula of every course must include the study of s. 316.1301 |
| 100 | and traffic laws to assist legally blind and mobility impaired |
| 101 | persons. The course shall not be made a part of, or a substitute |
| 102 | for, any of the minimum requirements for graduation. |
| 103 | Section 6. This act shall take effect July 1, 2012. |