H.B. 1032 78(R) BILL ANALYSIS H.B. 1032 By: Driver Law Enforcement Committee Report (Unamended) BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Under current law, an instruction permit expires on the driver's license applicant's next birthday after being issued the permit. However, applicants are required by law to hold the instruction permit for six months and some applicants' next birthdays will fall within that six month period. While these individuals are compelled by current law to return to the Department of Motor Vehicles to renew their instruction permits by their birthday, many applicants believe that their instruction permit expires at the end of the mandatory six month holding period and, based on this belief, fail to renew the permit and operate with an expired permit after their birthday. The current requirement that an applicant renew an instruction permit by his or her next birthday also discourages extension of the instruction period. Should a parent of a young adult determine he or she is not ready to proceed to the next license stage, an extended expiration date can provide the opportunity for more practice without having to renew the permit. House Bill 1032 addresses these issues by extending the instruction permit expiration date from the applicant's next birthday to one year from the applicant's next birthday. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, institution or agency. ANALYSIS House Bill 1032 amends Section 521.271(a) of the Transportation Code by changing Subsection (a)(3) so that an instruction permit would expire on the second birthday of the license holder, instead of the first birthday, that occurs after the date of application for the license. EFFECTIVE DATE This Act takes effect September 1, 2003.