New laws on driver’s licenses

The following are new laws on driver’s licenses. The laws don’t have emergency clauses, so they take effect 90 days after the regular legislative session ends.

■ Act 66 — The list of acceptable discharge documents in order to obtain a veteran designation on a driver’s license or identification card will be expanded to seven options, including a National Guard Bureau report of separation and record of service. Previously, a Department of Defense Form 214 was the only option. Those who served solely in the Air National Guard or Army National Guard do not receive a DD Form 214.

■ Act 69 — The eligibility time for people in the state prison and parole systems to receive help obtaining driver’s licenses will be extended to those who have been released within the previous six months from the custody of the state Department of Correction or the state Department of Community Correction, or are within 90 days of release on probation or parole. Previously, only those within 180 days of their releases from custody were eligible.

■ Act 236 — License plates for drivers with disabilities will no longer display the word “Disabled” and will instead have the international symbol of access — a blue square with a white outline of a person in a wheelchair.

■ Act 596 — Teen drivers will have 30 days after their 18th birthdays to trade in their intermediate driver’s licenses for eight-year regular licenses. Previously, the intermediate license expired on the driver’s 18th birthday.

■ Act 617 — Teen drivers under 18 years old will no longer have to prove they have C averages or above in school before being issued learner’s permits or driver’s licenses. Also, the validity of a passing score on a written examination was capped at two years.

■ Act 704 — Drug courts will be allowed to give exceptions if “compelling circumstances” warrant them when making decisions on whether to suspend the driving privileges of people who plead or are found guilty of illegal possession or use of a controlled substance.

■ Act 961 — The parents or guardians of teens under 18 years old no longer will be required to appear in person at driver’s license administration offices to sign the applications for teens to obtain instruction permits, learner’s licenses or intermediate driver’s licenses.

■ Senate Bill 493 — signed recently by Gov. Asa Hutchinson — A person whose driver’s license has remained suspended or revoked solely as a result of unpaid driver’s license reinstatement fees will be allowed to pay one $100 reinstatement fee to cover all administrative orders to suspend, revoke or cancel a driver’s license. The option will be available only to drug-court graduates and cannot be used more than one time.

■ Senate Bill 657 — signed recently by Gov. Asa Hutchinson — Notification from the Department of Finance and Administration to a person that his driver’s license was suspended for violating intoxicated-driving laws can now be sent by first-class mail instead of certified mail. While certified mail requires a signature and returns a green postcard to the sender as verification that it was received, a first-class letter is delivered directly to the recipient’s mailbox.

■ House Bill 1947 — signed recently by Gov. Asa Hutchinson — People renewing their driver’s licenses can now go up to 16 years without having their eyesight tested. A four-year license requires eye testing every eight years, and an eight-year license requires eye testing every 16 years.