S 407 Session 109 (1991-1992)
S 0407 General Bill, By Leatherman, McConnell, T.H. Pope, M.T. Rose and Wilson
A Bill to amend the Code of Laws of South Carolina, 1976, by adding Section
56-1-45 so as to prohibit issuing of drivers' licenses to residents under
seventeen years of age who are not high school graduates or do not have a
G.E.D. Certificate or who do not provide documentation that they are properly
enrolled in school and in compliance with attendance requirements, to require
the attendance supervisor or his designee to provide enrollment status
documentation to persons at least fifteen years of age on a form prescribed by
the State Department of Education in consultation with the Department of
Highways and Public Transportation, to require attendance supervisors to
notify the Department of Highways and Public Transportation of persons who
withdraw from school and require the Department to suspend the license of such
persons upon ten days written notice, to provide the method for a person whose
license is suspended to have the license reinstated, to define withdrawal from
school, to provide for a personal or family hardship waiver, and to provide
that an SR-22 does not have to be filed following reinstatement of a driver's
license suspended pursuant to this Section.
01/09/91 Senate Introduced and read first time SJ-14
01/09/91 Senate Referred to Committee on Education SJ-14
03/12/91 Senate Committee report: Majority favorable, minority
unfavorable Education SJ-16
COMMITTEE REPORT
March 12, 1991
S. 407
Introduced by SENATORS Leatherman, Rose, McConnell, Pope and
Wilson
S. Printed 3/12/91--S.
Read the first time January 9, 1991.
THE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
To whom was referred a Bill (S. 407), to amend the Code of Laws of
South Carolina, 1976, by adding Section 56-1-45 so as to prohibit
issuing of drivers' licenses to residents under seventeen years of age,
etc., respectfully
REPORT:
That they have duly and carefully considered the same, and
recommend that the same do pass:
Majority favorable. Minority unfavorable.
NIKKI SETZLER H. SAMUEL STILWELL
For Majority. For Minority.
A BILL
TO AMEND THE CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976,
BY ADDING SECTION 56-1-45 SO AS TO PROHIBIT ISSUING OF
DRIVERS' LICENSES TO RESIDENTS UNDER SEVENTEEN
YEARS OF AGE WHO ARE NOT HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES OR
DO NOT HAVE A G.E.D. CERTIFICATE OR WHO DO NOT
PROVIDE DOCUMENTATION THAT THEY ARE PROPERLY
ENROLLED IN SCHOOL AND IN COMPLIANCE WITH
ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS, TO REQUIRE THE
ATTENDANCE SUPERVISOR OR HIS DESIGNEE TO PROVIDE
ENROLLMENT STATUS DOCUMENTATION TO PERSONS AT
LEAST FIFTEEN YEARS OF AGE ON A FORM PRESCRIBED BY
THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION IN CONSULTATION
WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF HIGHWAYS AND PUBLIC
TRANSPORTATION, TO REQUIRE ATTENDANCE SUPERVISORS
TO NOTIFY THE DEPARTMENT OF HIGHWAYS AND PUBLIC
TRANSPORTATION OF PERSONS WHO WITHDRAW FROM
SCHOOL AND REQUIRE THE DEPARTMENT TO SUSPEND THE
LICENSE OF SUCH PERSONS UPON TEN DAYS WRITTEN
NOTICE, TO PROVIDE THE METHOD FOR A PERSON WHOSE
LICENSE IS SUSPENDED TO HAVE THE LICENSE REINSTATED,
TO DEFINE WITHDRAWAL FROM SCHOOL, TO PROVIDE FOR
A PERSONAL OR FAMILY HARDSHIP WAIVER, AND TO
PROVIDE THAT AN SR-22 DOES NOT HAVE TO BE FILED
FOLLOWING REINSTATEMENT OF A DRIVER'S LICENSE
SUSPENDED PURSUANT TO THIS SECTION.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:
SECTION 1. Article 1, Chapter 1, Title 56 of the 1976 Code is
amended by adding:
"Section 56-1-45. (A) School attendance is a condition
of the licensing for the privilege of the operation of a motor vehicle.
The department may
not issue a driver's license to a person seventeen years of age or under
unless:
(1) the person has a high school diploma or certificate, or a
General Education Development Certificate; or
(2) the person is enrolled in a public or private school within
or without this State which has been approved by the State Board of
Education or a member school of the South Carolina Independent
School's Association or some similar organization, or a parochial,
denominational, or church-related school, or other programs which are
accepted by the State Board of Education; and
(a) the person has conformed to the attendance laws,
regulations, and policies of his school, school district, and the State
Board of Education, as applicable;
(b) the person is not suspended or expelled from school.
(B) A person eighteen years of age or under applying for a driver's
license shall provide to the department one of the following:
(1) evidence of graduation from high school;
(2) his General Education Development Certificate;
(3) documentation as provided in subsection (C) from his
school of attendance stating that the applicant conforms to the
requirements of item (2) of subsection (A) of this section.
(C) The attendance supervisor or his designee shall provide
documentation of enrollment status on a form prescribed by the State
Department of Education in consultation with the Department of
Highways and Public Transportation to a student at least fifteen years of
age, upon request. The documentation must indicate if the student is
currently properly enrolled and in compliance with the requirements of
item (2) of subsection (A) of this section.
(D) Whenever a student fifteen years of age or older withdraws or
is considered withdrawn from school, the attendance supervisor or his
designee shall notify the Department of Highways and Public
Transportation of withdrawal and if the person holds a driver's license,
the department shall
suspend the license upon written notice of at least ten days to the
licensee unless the person provides documentation of his compliance
with the provisions of this section. The suspension period shall last until
the student's eighteenth birthday or until he is re-enrolled in school for
a minimum of thirty school days, unless an exception is granted pursuant
to subsection (E). For the purposes of this section, withdrawal is defined
as ten consecutive days of unexcused absence during the school year.
(E) If the local school board determines that a personal or family
hardship exists that requires a person to obtain a driver's license for
employment or medically-related purposes, the board may authorize the
issuance of a license for a person denied a license or where a license has
been suspended pursuant to this section. The request must be made on
a form approved by the South Carolina Department of Highways and
Public Transportation.
(F) The term `driver's license', as used in this section, includes a
regular driver's license, a special restricted driver's license, and a
beginner's permit.
(G) A suspension under this section does not require the filing of
a S.R. 22 on the lifting of the suspension."
SECTION 2. This act takes effect July 1, 1991.
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