By Driver, Solomons, Carter,                            H.B. No. 90
            Turner of Coleman, Junell
         Substitute the following for H.B. No. 90:
         By Turner of Coleman                                C.S.H.B. No. 90
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to graduated driver's licensing.
 1-3           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-4           SECTION 1.  Section 521.204, Transportation Code, is amended
 1-5     to read as follows:
 1-6           Sec. 521.204.  RESTRICTIONS ON MINOR.  The department may
 1-7     issue a Class C driver's license to an applicant under 18 years of
 1-8     age only if the applicant:
 1-9                 (1)  is 16 years of age or older;
1-10                 (2)  has submitted to the department a driver education
1-11     certificate issued under Section 9A, Texas Driver and Traffic
1-12     Safety Education Act (Article 4413(29c), Vernon's Texas Civil
1-13     Statutes), that states that the person has completed and passed a
1-14     driver education course approved by the department under Section
1-15     521.205 or by the Texas Education Agency;
1-16                 (3)  has obtained a high school diploma or its
1-17     equivalent or is a student:
1-18                       (A)  enrolled in a public school, home school, or
1-19     private school who attended school for at least 80 days in the fall
1-20     or spring semester preceding the date of the driver's license
1-21     application; or
1-22                       (B)  who has been enrolled for at least 45 days,
1-23     and is enrolled as of the date of the application, in a program to
1-24     prepare persons to pass the high school equivalency exam; [and]
 2-1                 (4)  has passed the examination required by Section
 2-2     521.161; and
 2-3                 (5)  has submitted an affidavit by parent or guardian
 2-4     that the applicant has completed at least 70 hours of actual
 2-5     driving practice including at least 20 hours of practice at night.
 2-6           SECTION 2.  Section 521.222, Transportation Code, is amended
 2-7     by amending Subsection (d) to read as follows:
 2-8           (d)  An instruction permit entitles the holder to operate a
 2-9     type of motor vehicle on a highway while:
2-10                 (1)  the permit is in the holder's possession; and
2-11                 (2)  the holder is accompanied by a person occupying
2-12     the seat by the operator who:
2-13                       (A)  holds a license that qualifies the operator
2-14     to operate that type of vehicle;
2-15                       (B)  is 21 [18] years of age or older; and
2-16                       (C)  has at least one year of driving experience.
2-17           SECTION 3.  The Texas Department of Insurance and the Texas
2-18     Department of Public Safety shall evaluate the effect of this Act
2-19     on insurance claims and on accidents as to the amount of insurance
2-20     premium discount available to the affected person.  Before January
2-21     1, 2003, those departments shall submit to the legislature a report
2-22     on their evaluation.
2-23           SECTION 4.  This Act does not affect the validity or effect
2-24     of a driver's license, including an instruction permit, issued
2-25     before the effective date of this Act.  That license is governed by
2-26     the law in effect when the license was issued, and that law is
2-27     continued in effect for that purpose.
 3-1           SECTION 5.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2000.
 3-2           SECTION 6.  The importance of this legislation and the
 3-3     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
 3-4     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
 3-5     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
 3-6     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.