BILL NUMBER: AB 840	AMENDED
	BILL TEXT

	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  MAY 24, 2013
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  MARCH 21, 2013

INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Ammiano

                        FEBRUARY 21, 2013

   An act to amend Section 12800 of the Vehicle Code, relating to
vehicles.



	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   AB 840, as amended, Ammiano. Vehicles: driver's licenses:
application requirements.
   Existing law requires every application for an original or a
renewal of a driver's license to contain specified information,
including, but not limited to, a brief description of the applicant
for the purpose of identification and a legible print of the thumb or
finger of the applicant.
   This bill would additionally require that every application for an
original or a renewal of a driver's license also contain a statement
requiring the applicant to acknowledge that he or she knows of the
dangers of distracted  driving.   driving,
including, but not limited to, manual, visual, and cognitive
distractions, as defined. The statement would be required to be
incorporated into the application at the first reprinting of the
application on or after January 1, 2014, and at each reprinting
thereafter. 
   Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  SECTION 1.  Section 12800 of the Vehicle Code is amended to read:
   12800.  Every application for an original or a renewal of a driver'
s license shall contain all of the following:
   (a) The applicant's true full name, age, sex, mailing address,
residence address, and social security account number.
   (b) A brief description of the applicant for the purpose of
identification.
   (c) A legible print of the thumb or finger of the applicant.
   (d) The type of motor vehicle or combination of vehicles the
applicant desires to operate.
   (e) Whether the applicant has ever previously been licensed as a
driver and, if so, when and in what state or country and whether or
not the license has been suspended or revoked and, if so, the date of
and reason for the suspension or revocation.
   (f) Whether the applicant has ever previously been refused a
driver's license in this state and, if so, the date of and the reason
for the refusal.
   (g) Whether the applicant, within the last three years, has
experienced, on one or more occasions, either a lapse of
consciousness or an episode of marked confusion caused by a condition
that may bring about recurrent lapses, or whether the applicant has
a disease, disorder, or disability that affects his or her ability to
exercise reasonable and ordinary control in operating a motor
vehicle upon a highway.
   (h) Whether the applicant understands traffic signs and signals.
   (i) Whether the applicant has ever previously been issued an
identification card by the department.
   (j)  (1)    A statement requiring the applicant
to acknowledge that he or she knows of the dangers of distracted
 driving.   driving, including, but  
not   limited to,   manual, visual, and cognitive
distractions.  
   (2) The statement required pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be
incorporated into the application at the first reprinting of the
application on or after January 1, 2014, and at each reprinting
thereafter.  
   (3) For purposes of this subdivision, the following terms have the
following meanings:  
   (A) "Cognitive distraction" means a task that requires the driver
to avert his or her mental attention away from the driving. 

   (B) "Manual distraction" means a task that requires the driver to
take a hand off of the steering wheel and manipulate a device. 

   (C) "Visual distraction" means a task that requires the driver to
look away from the roadway to visually obtain information. 
   (k) Any other information that is necessary to enable the
department to determine whether the applicant is entitled to a
license under this code.