BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                  AB 1220
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   April 22, 2009

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                Kevin De Leon, Chair

                AB 1220 (Huffman) - As Introduced:  February 27, 2009 

          Policy Committee:                               
          TransportationVote:8-5

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program:  
          Yes    Reimbursable: No           

           SUMMARY  

          This bill expands the 50 hour supervised training requirement  
          currently applicable to driver's license applicants aged 16 and  
          17 to applicants who are 18 to 24 years of age. The bill also  
          requires:

          1)Individuals from 16 to 24 years of age maintain a DMV-provided  
            driving log certifying their 50 hours of supervised training,  
            and to submit it along with their license application to the  
            DMV.

          2)That in the case of drivers 18 to 24 years of age, at least 10  
            hours of the supervised driving be after dark.

          3)The driving supervision be provided by an individual who is 18  
            year or older, whose driving privilege is not on probation,  
            and who has held a valid license for at least one year.  

           FISCAL EFFECT

           DMV indicates that it would incur: (a) minor costs to develop  
          and supply logs to drivers; and (b) significant administrative  
          costs, in the range of $500,000 annually, associated with added  
          staff time for reviewing and verifying driving logs of  
          applicants aged 16 to 24.

           COMMENTS
           
           1)Background  . Existing law allows for the issuance of a driver's  
            license to a person from 16 to 18 years of age upon (a)  
            completion of driver's education and training, (b) the  








                                                                  AB 1220
                                                                  Page  2

            completion of 50 hours of supervised training, and (c) passage  
            of the DMV driver's test. The supervised training may be  
            provided by licensed drivers over 18 years of age whose  
            driving privilege is not on probation. Individuals over 18  
            must pass a drivers test but are not subject to the education  
            and the minimum training requirements as their younger  
            counterparts. Existing law also allows a person with an  
            instructional permit issued by DMV to operate a motor vehicle  
            when accompanied and supervised by a California licensed  
            driver who, among other things, is 18 years of age or over,  
            and whose driving privilege is not on probation.

           2)Rationale  . This bill is intended to address the  
            disproportionate number of vehicle accidents that involve  
            novice drivers, age 16 to 24, who represented one out of every  
            four fatal vehicle accidents in 2007.  The author believes  
            this bill represents a modest approach towards verifying that  
            a potential licensed driver has behind the wheel training  
            before being able to drive on the state's roadways.

           Analysis Prepared by  :    Brad Williams / APPR. / (916) 319-2081