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1996 SESSION

963522424
HOUSE BILL NO. 1551
Offered February 9, 1996
A BILL to amend and reenact § 46.2-323 of the Code of Virginia, relating to driver's licenses.
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Patron-- Reid
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Consent to introduce
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Referred to Committee on Transportation
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Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That § 46.2-323 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:

§ 46.2-323. Application for driver's license; proof of completion of driver education program; penalty.

A. Every application for a driver's license, temporary driver's permit, or learner's permit shall be made on a form prescribed by the Department and the applicant shall write his usual signature in ink in the space provided on the form. The form shall include notice to the applicant of the duty to register with the Department of State Police as provided in § 19.2-298.1, if the applicant has been convicted of a felony in violation of §§ 18.2-61, 18.2-63, 18.2-64.1, 18.2-67.1, 18.2-67.2, 18.2-67.3, 18.2-67.5, 18.2-370 or § 18.2-370.1 or, where the victim is a minor or is physically helpless or mentally incapacitated as defined in § 18.2-67.10, subsection B of § 18.2-361 or subsection B of § 18.2-366, including juveniles tried and convicted in the circuit courts pursuant to § 16.1-269 whether sentenced as adults or juveniles, or a felony under a substantially similar law of the United States or any other state.

B. Every application shall state the name, year, month and date of birth, social security number, sex, and residence address of the applicant; whether or not the applicant has previously been licensed as a driver and, if so, when and by what state, and whether or not his license has ever been suspended or revoked and, if so, the date of and reason for such suspension or revocation. The Department, as a condition for the issuance of any driver's license, temporary driver's permit, or learner's permit, may require the surrender of any driver's license issued by another state and held by the applicant. The applicant shall also answer any questions on the application form or otherwise propounded by the Department incidental to the examination. The applicant may also be required to present to the person conducting the examination a birth certificate or other evidence, reasonably acceptable to the Department, of his name and date of birth.

The applicant shall also certify that he is a resident of the Commonwealth by signing a certification statement, on a form prescribed by the Commissioner, and by providing satisfactory proof that he is a resident of the Commonwealth. The Commissioner may adopt regulations to determine the process by which applicants prove that they are residents of the Commonwealth.

If the applicant either (i) fails or refuses to sign the certification statement or (ii) fails to follow the process determined by the Commissioner for proving residency, the Department shall not issue the applicant a driver's license, temporary driver's permit, or learner's permit.

Any applicant who knowingly makes a false certification of Virginia residency or supplies false or fictitious evidence of Virginia residency shall be punished as provided in § 46.2-348.

The Commissioner may, on a case-by-case basis, waive any provision of such regulations for good cause shown.

C. Every application for a driver's license shall include a color photograph of the applicant supplied under arrangements made by the Department. The photograph shall be processed by the Department so that the photograph can be made part of the issued license. Photographs, for applicants under twenty-one years of age, shall be profile photographs; such photographs, for applicants twenty-one years of age and older, shall be front face view photographs.

D. Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection C, the first and subsequent photographs for persons under twenty-one years of age shall be profile photographs until the original issued license has expired.

E. Notwithstanding the provisions of § 46.2-334, every unlicensed applicant for a driver's license who is under nineteen years of age shall furnish the Department with satisfactory proof of his successful completion of a driver education program approved by the State Department of Education.

F. Any form used in applying for renewal of a driver's license shall include language permitting the applicant to make a voluntary contribution of one dollar to Prevent Blindness Virginia, a not-for-profit organization. All such contributions shall be collected by the Department, distributed quarterly to Prevent Blindness Virginia, and used to prevent blindness and preserve the sight of the residents of the Commonwealth. A statement providing an explanation of the purpose of these contributions shall be provided by the Department along with every application form for renewal of a Virginia driver's license.