A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to revise division of motor vehicles permit and license requirements and to authorize the division to utilize commercial driver training schools to administer road tests.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.(a)  G.S. 20‑11 reads as rewritten:
"§ 20‑11.  Issuance of limited learner's permit and provisional drivers license to person who is less than 18 years old.
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(c)	Level 1 Restrictions. – A limited learner's permit authorizes the permit holder to drive a specified type or class of motor vehicle only under the following conditions:
(1)	The permit holder must be in possession of the permit.
(2)	A supervising driver must be seated beside the permit holder in the front seat of the vehicle when it is in motion. No person other than the supervising driver can be in the front seat.
(3)	For the first three months after issuance, the permit holder may drive only between the hours of 5:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m.
(4)	After the first three months after issuance, the permit holder may drive at any time.
(5)	Every person occupying the vehicle being driven by the permit holder must have a safety belt properly fastened about his or her body, or be restrained by a child passenger restraint system as provided in G.S. 20‑137.1(a), when the vehicle is in motion.
(6)	The permit holder shall not use a mobile telephone or other additional technology associated with a mobile telephone while operating the motor vehicle on a public street or highway or public vehicular area.
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SECTION 1.(b)  G.S. 20‑11 reads as rewritten:
"§ 20‑11.  Issuance of limited learner's permit and provisional drivers license to person who is less than 18 years old.
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(d)	Level 2. – A person who is at least 16 years old but less than 18 years old may obtain a limited provisional license if the person meets all of the following requirements:
(1)	Has held a limited learner's permit issued by the Division for at least six months.
(2)	Has not been convicted of a motor vehicle moving violation or seat belt infraction or a violation of G.S. 20‑137.3 during the preceding six months.
(3)	Passes a road test administered by the Division or by a commercial driver training school certified by the Division to administer road tests.
(4)	Has a driving eligibility certificate or a high school diploma or its equivalent.
(5)	Has completed a driving log, on a form approved by the Division, detailing a minimum of 60 hours as the operator of a motor vehicle of a class for which the driver has been issued a limited learner's permit. The log must show at least 10 hours of the required driving occurred during nighttime hours. No more than 10 hours of driving per week may be counted toward the 60‑hour requirement. The driving log must be signed by the supervising driver and submitted to the Division at the time the applicant seeks to obtain a limited provisional license. If the Division has cause to believe that a driving log has been falsified, the limited learner's permit holder shall be required to complete a new driving log with the same requirements and shall not be eligible to obtain a limited provisional license for six months.
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SECTION 2.(a)  In addition to administering road tests at Division of Motor Vehicles offices, the Division may certify commercial driver training schools to administer road tests required by Article 2 of Chapter 20 of the General Statutes pursuant to all of the following:
(1)	In order to be certified to administer road tests, a school must be licensed as a commercial driver training school under Article 14 of Chapter 20 of the General Statutes. A licensed commercial driver training school is authorized to administer road tests required for licensure only as provided under this section.
(2)	Each commercial driver training school shall obtain a certification from the Division that the road test administered by the school complies with criteria and training developed by the Division.
(3)	The Division shall maintain oversight of road tests administered by certified commercial driver training schools.
(4)	If an applicant takes a road test required for licensure that is administered by a certified commercial driver training school, documentation that the applicant passed the road test must be submitted in a format specified by the Division prior to issuance of the license.
SECTION 2.(b)  No later than November 1, 2021, the Division shall report to the Joint Legislative Transportation Oversight Committee on implementation of this section, including the number of commercial driver training schools certified, the change in the number of available road tests and the change in the number of days an applicant must wait to take a road test, and the effect on customer service within the Division. If the Division has not certified any commercial driver training schools as authorized by this section by November 1, 2021, the Division shall report, no later than that date, the reasons for not implementing this section, all other measures undertaken by the Division to reduce wait times and improve customer service with regard to road testing, and the effects of those measures.
SECTION 3.  Section 1(a) of this act is effective when it becomes law and applies to offenses committed on or after that date. Section 1(b) of this act is effective when it becomes law and applies to applications for licenses submitted on or after that date. The remainder of this act is effective when it becomes law.