Florida Senate - 2013 SB 850
By Senator Hukill
8-00964-13 2013850__
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 ss.
7 318.1451 and 322.0261, F.S.; requiring that, in
8 determining whether to approve courses offered by
9 driver improvement schools, the Department of Highway
10 Safety and Motor Vehicles consider course content
11 related to the study of traffic laws to assist legally
12 blind and mobility-impaired persons; amending s.
13 322.12, F.S.; providing requirements for examination
14 questions pertaining to traffic laws relating to
15 legally blind and mobility-impaired persons; amending
16 s. 322.095, F.S.; requiring certain traffic law
17 education programs to include the study of traffic
18 laws to assist legally blind and mobility-impaired
19 persons; amending s. 943.17, F.S.; requiring the basic
20 skills course required in order for law enforcement
21 officers to obtain certification to include the study
22 of traffic laws to assist legally blind and mobility
23 impaired persons; amending s. 1003.48, F.S.; requiring
24 driver education programs to include the study of
25 traffic laws to assist legally blind and mobility
26 impaired persons; providing an effective date.
27
28 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
29
30 Section 1. Law enforcement reports.—Each month, each law
31 enforcement agency in the state shall report crimes affecting
32 persons with disabilities, legally blind persons, and persons
33 who are mobility impaired to the Department of Law Enforcement
34 and report its enforcement of s. 316.1301, Florida Statutes, and
35 traffic laws to assist legally blind and mobility-impaired
36 persons to the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.
37 The report to the Department of Highway Safety and Motor
38 Vehicles shall include incidents of crashes involving legally
39 blind persons and crashes involving mobility-impaired persons.
40 The Department of Law Enforcement and the Department of Highway
41 Safety and Motor Vehicles shall each provide procedures for the
42 collection and maintenance of the reports in the same manner as
43 other criminal activity and enforcement reports are collected
44 and maintained by that department.
45 Section 2. Paragraph (a) of subsection (2) of section
46 318.1451, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
47 318.1451 Driver improvement schools.—
48 (2)(a) In determining whether to approve the courses
49 referenced in this section, the department shall consider course
50 content designed to promote safety, driver awareness, crash
51 avoidance techniques, and other factors or criteria to improve
52 driver performance from a safety viewpoint. The department shall
53 also consider course content that includes the study of s.
54 316.1301 and traffic laws to assist legally blind and mobility
55 impaired persons.
56 Section 3. Subsection (5) of section 322.0261, Florida
57 Statutes, is amended to read:
58 322.0261 Driver improvement course; requirement to maintain
59 driving privileges; failure to complete; department approval of
60 course.—
61 (5) In determining whether to approve a driver improvement
62 course for the purposes of this section, the department shall
63 consider course content designed to promote safety, driver
64 awareness, crash avoidance techniques, and other factors or
65 criteria to improve driver performance from a safety viewpoint.
66 The department shall also consider course content that includes
67 the study of s. 316.1301 and traffic laws to assist legally
68 blind and mobility-impaired persons.
69 Section 4. Subsection (6) is added to section 322.12,
70 Florida Statutes, to read:
71 322.12 Examination of applicants.—
72 (6) Each examination given for a Class E driver license or
73 a commercial driver license under this section must include one
74 question testing the applicant’s knowledge of s. 316.1301 and
75 traffic laws to assist legally blind and mobility-impaired
76 persons. In developing questions under this subsection, the
77 department shall emphasize pedestrian right of way when a driver
78 is making a right turn at an intersection.
79 Section 5. Subsection (1) of section 322.095, Florida
80 Statutes, is amended to read:
81 322.095 Traffic law and substance abuse education program
82 for driver driver’s license applicants.—
83 (1) The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles
84 must approve traffic law and substance abuse education courses
85 that must be completed by applicants for a Florida driver
86 driver’s license. The curricula for the courses must provide
87 instruction on the physiological and psychological consequences
88 of the abuse of alcohol and other drugs, the societal and
89 economic costs of alcohol and drug abuse, the effects of alcohol
90 and drug abuse on the driver of a motor vehicle, and the laws of
91 this state relating to the operation of a motor vehicle. The
92 curricula must also include the study of s. 316.1301 and traffic
93 laws to assist legally blind and mobility-impaired persons. All
94 instructors teaching the courses shall be certified by the
95 department.
96 Section 6. Subsection (5) of section 943.17, Florida
97 Statutes, is amended to read:
98 943.17 Basic recruit, advanced, and career development
99 training programs; participation; cost; evaluation.—The
100 commission shall, by rule, design, implement, maintain,
101 evaluate, and revise entry requirements and job-related
102 curricula and performance standards for basic recruit, advanced,
103 and career development training programs and courses. The rules
104 shall include, but are not limited to, a methodology to assess
105 relevance of the subject matter to the job, student performance,
106 and instructor competency.
107 (5) The commission, in consultation with the Florida
108 Violent Crime and Drug Control Council, shall establish
109 standards for basic and advanced training programs for law
110 enforcement officers in the subjects of investigating and
111 preventing violent crime. The curricula of every basic skills
112 course required in order for law enforcement officers to obtain
113 initial certification must include the study of s. 316.1301 and
114 traffic laws to assist legally blind and mobility-impaired
115 persons. After January 1, 1995, Every basic skills course
116 required in order for law enforcement officers to obtain initial
117 certification must include training on violent crime prevention
118 and investigations.
119 Section 7. Subsection (1) of section 1003.48, Florida
120 Statutes, is amended to read:
121 1003.48 Instruction in operation of motor vehicles.—
122 (1) A course of study and instruction in the safe and
123 lawful operation of a motor vehicle shall be made available by
124 each district school board to students in the secondary schools
125 in the state. As used in this section, the term “motor vehicle”
126 shall have the same meaning as in s. 320.01(1)(a) and shall
127 include motorcycles and mopeds. Instruction in motorcycle or
128 moped operation may be limited to classroom instruction. The
129 curricula of every course must include the study of s. 316.1301
130 and traffic laws to assist legally blind and mobility-impaired
131 persons. The course shall not be made a part of, or a substitute
132 for, any of the minimum requirements for graduation.
133 Section 8. This act shall take effect July 1, 2013.