AN ACT authorizing driver education and licensed commercial driving training school instructors to administer vision testing or eye exams required for the issuance of a restricted instruction permit.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.  G.S. 20‑7 reads as rewritten:

§ 20‑7.  Issuance and renewal of drivers licenses.

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(m1)     Restricted Instruction Permit Vision Tests. – A driver training instructor qualified under G.S. 115C‑215(e) or G.S. 20‑323(b) may also administer the vision test required for the issuance of a restricted instruction permit if both of the following apply:

(1)        The instructor demonstrates an ability to properly administer vision tests pursuant to standards established by the Division.

(2)        The tested applicant is enrolled in a driver education program that is approved by the State Superintendent of Public Instruction and is offered at a public high school, a nonpublic secondary school, or a licensed drivers training school. The Division may adopt temporary and permanent rules to implement the provisions of this subsection.

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SECTION 2.  There is appropriated from the Highway Fund to the Department of Transportation, Division of Motor Vehicles, the sum of one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) in nonrecurring funds for the 2022‑2023 fiscal year to be used to implement the provisions of this act.

SECTION 3.  Section 1 of this act becomes effective October 1, 2022. Section 2 of this act becomes effective July 1, 2022. The remainder of this act is effective when it becomes law.