H 7498Personal

Motor and Other Vehicles - Operators' and Chauffeurs' Licenses

This bill allows mandated driver education courses to be taken online with an instructor for a two-year trial period.

Held for study

Population
Affected

Introduced Feb 4, 2026Committee House State Government & Elections

Plain-English Summary

This legislation amends Rhode Island's driver education requirements for individuals under the age of eighteen. It temporarily authorizes the required driver education course to be conducted via an instructor-led virtual format, rather than exclusively in a physical classroom. This virtual option is permitted for a two-year period beginning October 1, 2026, and ending October 1, 2028. Additionally, the bill mandates that the State Board of Education submit a report by December 1, 2028, comparing the test results of students who took the virtual course against those who attended in-person instruction.

For younger readers

To get a driver's license, teenagers usually have to go to a classroom to learn the rules of the road. This new rule says that for two years, starting in 2026, they can take these classes on a computer instead of going to a building. There will still be a teacher leading the class online. After the two years are up, the people in charge of schools will look at test scores to see if learning online worked as well as learning in a real classroom.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups

Teenage drivers (under 18)Parents of teen driversDriver education instructorsCommunity College of Rhode IslandState Board of Education

Impacted communities

All

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

None Likely

Estimated cost

None

Estimated revenue

None

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints

For Progressives

Increases accessibility for low-income families and students who may lack reliable transportation to physical classroom locations, ensuring equitable access to state-mandated training.
Provides necessary flexibility for working-class students who may have employment or family caregiving responsibilities that conflict with rigid in-person schedules.
Reduces the carbon footprint associated with parents and students driving back and forth to physical education centers, aligning with environmental sustainability goals.
May exacerbate the digital divide, as students from lower-income households might lack the high-speed internet or quiet environments necessary for effective virtual learning.
Could degrade the quality of education and social engagement compared to in-person instruction, potentially resulting in less prepared drivers on the road.
Risks acting as a precursor to the privatization or reduction of physical community college resources and public meeting spaces.

For Conservatives

Increases consumer choice and convenience for families, allowing them to fulfill state mandates without the logistical burden of travel.
Utilizes a pilot program structure with a sunset clause, ensuring that the government evaluates the efficacy of the program before making it permanent.
Modernizes a government process to align with current technology, potentially increasing the efficiency of service delivery.
Creates a new government reporting mandate, adding administrative bureaucracy and paperwork for the Board of Education.
Delays the implementation of the virtual option until 2026, demonstrating government inefficiency in rolling out a simple technological update.
May compromise public safety if virtual instruction lacks the discipline of in-person learning, potentially resulting in poorly trained drivers.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 8 additions

SECTION 1. Section 31-10-20 of the General Laws in Chapter 31-10 entitled "Operators’ and Chauffeurs’ Licenses" is hereby amended to read as follows: 31-10-20. Driver education course requirement before licensing.

(a) No limited-instruction permit or license shall be issued to any person not more than eighteen (18) years of age unless that person shall have successfully completed a course of instruction as provided in § 31-10-19, or a similar course of instruction, conducted in a classroom setting or in an instructor-led virtual format, recognized by the state board of education as equivalent to it. The instructor-led virtual format course shall be permitted for a period of two (2) years from October 1, 2026 until October 1, 2028, and a report analyzing the test results of the instructor-led virtual instruction format as compared to the in-person classroom instruction format shall be provided by the state board of education to the speaker of the house and president of the senate no later than December 1, 2028. However, any person who is over eighteen (18) years of age and has been a holder of a motor vehicle operator’s license issued to that person by any other state, territory, or possession of the United States, or any other sovereignty for a period of one year immediately prior to his or her application for a license under this chapter shall not be required to comply with the provisions of this section.

(b) Commencing on July 1, 2004, no limited-instruction permit or license shall be issued to any person not more than eighteen (18) years of age unless that person shall have successfully completed a course of instruction as provided in § 31-10-19, or a similar course of instruction in another state recognized by the state board of education as equivalent to it. In determining whether a course is equivalent, the state board of education shall at a minimum require: (1) That the course consist of at least thirty-three (33) instructional hours that substantially conform with the current curriculum utilized by the instructor(s) at the Community College of Rhode Island, including a minimum of three (3) hours of instruction focusing upon specific Rhode Island traffic laws, the specific requirements of the Rhode Island graduated-licensing statute in § 31-10-6, and eight (8) hours specifically for instruction on the effects of alcohol and drugs on a driver. All driver’s education programs shall include information concerning the Revised Uniform Anatomical Gift Act, chapter 18.6.1 of title 23, and information on donor cards pursuant to the applicable provisions of chapter 18.6.1 of title 23; (2) That the instructor holds a valid teacher’s certificate; (3) That the instructor satisfactorily completes at least a three-credit (3) course in traffic safety education at an accredited institution of higher education; and (4) That the program does not offer outside the classroom road test instruction or driving lessons to Rhode Island students. However, any person who is over eighteen (18) years of age and has been a holder of a motor vehicle operator’s license issued to that person by any other state, territory, or possession of the United States, or any other sovereignty for a period of one year immediately prior to his or her application for a license under this chapter shall not be required to comply with the provisions of this section.

(c) The driver’s education course and driver’s license examination shall include material pertaining to a driver’s rights and responsibilities when stopped by a law enforcement officer as explained during the driver education course, including, but not limited to, rights provided to drivers pursuant to chapter 21.2 of title 31, the “comprehensive community-police relationship act of 2015.”

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.