Bill Summary – FastDemocracy

Fiscal Note
                                         Fiscal Services Division
SF 2109 – Minor Driving Permits (LSB5885SV.3)
Staff Contact: Garry Martin (515.281.4611) garry.martin@legis.iowa.gov
Fiscal Note Version – Final Action
Description
Senate File 2109 replaces the current special minor’s license with a new special minor’s
restricted license. The special minor’s restricted license entitles a person between the ages of
14 and 18 (licensee) to operate a motor vehicle (drive) up to 25 miles from the licensee’s
residence to the licensee’s school, place of competent private instruction, extracurricular
activities, or work shift in the hour before or after the licensee’s scheduled work shift, school
day, or extracurricular activity. A licensee may drive more than 25 miles if the licensee attends
a public school and resides within the public school district. Under the Bill, an applicant for a
special minor’s restricted license is required to hold an instruction permit or a comparable permit
issued by another state for a minimum of six months before being eligible for a special minor’s
restricted license.
A licensee’s parent or guardian must complete a written consent form prescribed by the
Department of Transportation (DOT). Eligible work activities include farm work, including farm
work-related activities and labor activities under Iowa Code chapter 92. The licensee must carry
the written consent form at all times in the vehicle. The Bill prohibits a licensee to drive as a
part of the licensee’s employment if the employment is not farm-related.
The Bill decreases the distance a licensee may drive with a farm work authorization from 50
miles to 25 miles but retains other existing privileges.
The Bill removes the current requirement for schools to certify that a special need exists for the
DOT to issue a special minor’s license. Instead, the Bill requires an applicant’s school to certify
that the applicant is enrolled as a student or, if the applicant receives private instruction,
requires the certification to be made by the applicant’s primary instructor. The Bill authorizes a
licensee to drive to school regardless of whether the school is public or accredited nonpublic.
The Bill contains various penalties for a licensee who violates the license restrictions or is
convicted of violating a traffic law. The Bill establishes that a violation of a license restriction
becomes a moving violation.
The Bill does not require a person who holds a special minor’s license that was issued before
the effective date of the Bill to apply for a new license. However, a person who was issued a
special minor’s license prior to the effective date of the Bill is prohibited from driving
unaccompanied to the person’s place of employment until after the person’s parent or guardian
completes the written consent form in accordance with the Bill.
Background
Under current law, the DOT is authorized to issue special permits and licenses to persons under
the age of 18, including a special minor’s license, which authorizes unsupervised driving and
can be issued to a person 14 and one-half years of age. A special minor’s license entitles a
person between the ages of 14 and one-half to 18 (student driver) to operate a motor vehicle
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without adult supervision up to 50 miles from the student driver’s residence to the student
driver’s school or school bus stop or public transportation service. The student driver can
operate a vehicle without supervision for more than 50 miles if the student driver drives to a
school within the school district of enrollment or within a school district contiguous to the school
district of enrollment. Current law also distinguishes between a public school and accredited
nonpublic school in regard to where a student driver is authorized to drive unsupervised,
requires schools to certify that a special need exists for the DOT to issue a special minor’s
license, and authorizes a student driver to drive to approved locations between the hours of
5:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m.
Under current law, a student driver who resides on a farm or is employed for compensation on a
farm may drive up to 50 miles for the purpose of assisting the person’s parents, guardians, or
employers with farm work or in connection with any farm job, employment, or other farm-related
work, including traveling to or from the location of the farm work.
Assumptions
• The DOT will incur a one-time vendor cost of $80,000 to redesign the existing minor school
   license to a special minor restricted license.
• The DOT will incur one-time information technology (IT) programming costs of $36,000 for
   the DOT database to update the card design and create a new license, restriction, and
   sanction for the new special minor restricted license. A new form and a new program for the
   form will need to be created.
• The DOT estimates approximately 21,000 students may be eligible for special restricted
   driver’s licenses. It is assumed that 10,600 students will apply for this type of license per
   year.
Fiscal Impact
The estimated cost to the DOT for SF 2109 is approximately $116,000 in FY 2025
Sources
Department of Transportation
Legislative Services Agency
                                                                               /s/ Jennifer Acton
                                                                                  May 8, 2024
Doc ID 1449765
The fiscal note for this Bill was prepared pursuant to Joint Rule 17 and the Iowa Code. Data used in developing this
fiscal note is available from the Fiscal Services Division of the Legislative Services Agency upon request.
                                                 www.legis.iowa.gov
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Statutes affected: 
Introduced: 232.52, 321.1, 321.178, 299.2, 321.194, 321.180B, 299.1B
Reprinted: 232.52, 321.1, 321.178, 299.2, 321.194, 321.180B, 299.1B
Enrolled: 232.52, 321.1, 321.178, 299.2, 321.194, 321.180B, 299.1B