AUGUSTA - Rep. Anne-Marie Mastraccio, D-Sanford, introduced a bill before the Legislature’s Transportation Committee on Thursday that would make learner’s permits more accessible for students between the ages of 15-and-a-half and 18 years of age.
LD 1480 would allow individuals who have successfully completed the written and vision portions of Maine’s driver’s test to apply for a learner’s permit. After receiving their learner’s permit, those individuals would be eligible to learn how to drive from the instruction of their parent, guardian or trusted adult who has held a license for at least two years and is at least 25 years old.
“There was a time when driver’s education was taught in public schools and paid for by taxpayers, giving every student the same opportunity to learn to drive. At some point, driver’s education became privatized and not easily accessible to Mainers due to the rising cost of classes,” said Mastraccio. “This bill addresses the increasing barriers to accessing driver’s education, and gives young people in Maine a greater opportunity to learn to drive before we send them off to college or into the workforce.”
This bill does not remove the requirement of taking a driver’s education course to receive a driver’s license before the age of 18. Under current law, the only way a minor can obtain a learner’s permit is to pass a written driving exam and complete a driver’s education course. LD 1480 would remove the barrier of driver’s education and would give young people more time to learn to drive with a parent or guardian before applying for their driver’s license at 18.
The Transportation Committee will hold a work session for the bill in the coming weeks.
Rep. Mastraccio is serving her sixth non-consecutive term in the Maine House of Representatives, where she serves the communities of Sanford and Springvale. She is the House chair of the Government Oversight Committee, and she also serves on the Health Coverage, Insurance and Financial Services Committee.
Contact:
Brian Lee (Mastraccio) | 305-965-2744