South Carolina General Assembly
124th Session, 2021-2022

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Bill 3037

Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter


(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

Indicates Matter Stricken

Indicates New Matter

AMENDED

April 6, 2021

H. 3037

Introduced by Reps. Garvin, Robinson, Cobb-Hunter, Hosey, J.L. Johnson, Matthews, S. Williams, Rivers, Jefferson, R. Williams, Govan and King

S. Printed 4/6/21--H.

Read the first time January 12, 2021.

            

STATEMENT OF ESTIMATED FISCAL IMPACT

Explanation of Fiscal Impact

State Expenditure

This bill, as amended, requires an applicant for a driver's license or permit to provide a medical certificate that indicates a permanent medical condition when voluntarily disclosing that condition. No more than four certified medical conditions may be contained in the motor vehicle record of a driver, including autism, which is currently authorized in the law. The applicant may request that DMV notate the condition(s) on the back of his driver's license or permit with a caduceus symbol and one abbreviation of the person's most significant permanent medical condition.

In order to accommodate these changes to driver's licenses and permits, DMV would contract with a vendor. Based on an initial estimate from one vendor, these changes will cost between $45,000 and $75,000 to implement on a one-time basis. DMV is pursuing an additional estimate and we will update this impact statement if additional information becomes available.

Therefore, based on the information currently available, this bill will increase non-recurring general fund expenditures of DMV by up to $75,000 in FY 2021-22.

Frank A. Rainwater, Executive Director

Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office

A BILL

TO AMEND THE CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, BY ADDING SECTION 56-3-117 SO AS TO PROVIDE THE DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES MAY ADD A NOTATION TO A PRIVATE PASSENGER-CARRYING MOTOR VEHICLE REGISTRATION TO INDICATE THE VEHICLE OWNER OR AN OCCUPANT OF THE VEHICLE SUFFERS FROM CERTAIN MEDICAL CONDITIONS AND TO PROVIDE THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE ACADEMY SHALL OFFER COURSES TO TRAIN LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS ON HANDLING SITUATIONS THAT MAY ARISE FROM THE ENFORCEMENT OF THIS PROVISION.

Amend Title To Conform

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION    1.    Section 56-1-80 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:

"Section 56-1-80.        (A)    An application for a driver's license or permit must:

(1)    be made upon the form furnished by the department;

(2)    be accompanied by the proper fee and acceptable proof of date and place of birth;

(3)    contain the full name, date of birth, sex, race, and residence address of the applicant and briefly describe the applicant;

(4)    state whether the applicant has been licensed as an operator or chauffeur and, if so, when and by what state or country;

(5)    state whether a license or permit has been suspended or revoked or whether an application has been refused and, if so, the date of and reason for the suspension, revocation, or refusal;

(6)    allow an applicant voluntarily to disclose and provide a medical certificate that indicates a permanent medical condition, which must be indicated by a symbol designated by the department on the driver's license and contained in the driver's record;

(7)    allow an applicant voluntarily to disclose that he is an organ and tissue donor, which must be indicated by a symbol designated by the department on the driver's license and contained in the driver's record; and

(8)    allow an applicant voluntarily to disclose that he is autistic, which must be indicated by a symbol designated by the department on the driver's license and contained in the driver's record. The applicant must provide documentation that he is autistic from a physician licensed in this State, as defined in Section 40-47-20(35).

(B)    The information contained on a driver's license and in the driver's department records pertaining to a person's permanent medical condition, as provided for in item (A)(6), must be made available, upon request, to law enforcement and emergency medical services and hospital personnel; and the information and records pertaining to a person's organ and tissue donor status, as provided for in item (A)(7), must be made available, upon request, to law enforcement, emergency medical services and hospital personnel, and the South Carolina Donor Referral Network, as provided for in Section 44-43-910.

(C)    Whenever an application is received from a person previously licensed or permitted in another state, the Department of Motor Vehicles may request a copy of the applicant's record from the other state. When received, the record becomes a part of the driver's record in this State with the same effect as though entered on the operator's record in this State in the original instance. Every person who obtains a driver's license or permit for the first time in South Carolina and every person who renews his driver's license or permit in South Carolina must be furnished a written request form for completion and verification of liability insurance coverage.

The completed and verified form or an affidavit prepared by the department showing that neither he, nor a resident relative, owns a motor vehicle subject to the provisions of this chapter, must be delivered to the department at the time the license or permit is issued or renewed.

(D)(1)    The department must implement fully the provisions contained in subitems (A)(6) and (A)(8) by July 1, 2022.

(2)    Pursuant to subitem (A)(6), a person providing medical certification may request the department notate a health condition on the back of his driver's license or permit with a caduceus symbol and include health conditions such as neurological disorder, brain injury, a neuroimmune condition, mental illness, a disorder that causes seizures, and others.

(3)    Pursuant to subitem (A)(8), a person with autism providing medical certification may request the department add 'AUT' and one other medical condition designated by a caduceus.

(4)    The motor vehicle record of a driver may contain not more than four certified medical conditions, one of which may be autism."

SECTION    2.    This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.

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This web page was last updated on April 6, 2021 at 7:03 PM