House advances Senate Bill 32 to expand driver-education options, require separate accounting and allow fees

Representative Tim Newbold, sponsor of Senate Bill 32, told the House the bill expands options for delivering driver education — including home study, electronic courses and before- or after-school instruction — while preserving the classroom component and current funding for in-class instruction.

"We are not taking driver's education out of the high school," Newbold said. "This bill increases options and ensures academic dollars are spent for academics." He told colleagues the main change is to require separate accounting of funds devoted to driver education and to allow districts to charge fees that cover behind-the-wheel instruction.

Newbold cited the bill's fiscal note and said, based on current enrollment, the change could amount to about a $31 average fee per student if certain funds are redirected. "We may see as much as $11,250,000 being redirected," he said, adding that the fee is intended to cover costs not reimbursed through the existing $2.50 automobile registration driver-education allocation.

Members pressed the sponsor on school-to-school and rural impacts. Representative Becker asked about projected revenue and whether fee waivers would apply; Newbold replied fee waivers would remain available for students who qualify. Representative 31 (name used in the transcript but not altered) cautioned that many rural districts currently charge no fees and worried about shifting costs to families.

Supporters argued the bill is a compromise that preserves classroom instruction and gives districts flexibility to manage behind-the-wheel training more efficiently. Representative Holdaway said the change could free teachers currently on the road to provide in-school instruction, while Representative Mascaro said the bill helps refocus limited academic dollars on core classes.

The House debated whether districts would be required to charge fees; Newbold and proponents said districts would set fees only to cover costs not already funded and that any increase would be offset in some districts by redirecting driver-education allocations to other district needs.

The transcript records that the bill was moved forward and returned to the Senate for further action; the floor record provided discussion and some fiscal estimates but did not record a specific vote tally for final passage on the floor. The next procedural step noted in the record is transmission back to the Senate for its consideration.