(b)__The Secretary of State may allow the written operator's permit to be administered privately and securely over the Internet;

(c)__The Secretary of State shall require a mandatory eye exam to be given at the time of the first behind-the-wheel instruction;

(d)__A maximum of one unit of the course may be completed in any 24-hour period;

(e)__If the student is a minor, the curriculum must include parental involvement;

(f)__The first two units of the Internet-based course must be completed before the student is eligible to begin the behind-the-wheel instruction; and

(g) A final exam may be administered on-line.__The final exam must include 30 questions, including those questions required by the Secretary of State for a driver's license.__Eighty percent of the questions must be answered correctly to pass the course.__A course completion certificate may be issued in a printable form over the Internet.

SUMMARY

This bill amends the requirements of the standardized driver education curriculum to include an Internet-based course that may be substituted for the minimum number of hours required for classroom instruction.

The Secretary of State shall expand current record keeping requirements to allow electronic filing, reporting and authorization. The Internet-based course is governed by the following provider and curriculum conditions. Provider requirements include the following.

1. The provider may be a different provider than the provider of the behind-the-wheel instruction.

2. Physical site requirements are not required for course location.

3. The provider shall give the Secretary of State notice of identity of the provider and the location of business headquarters where all records are maintained.

4. The provider may keep records in electronic format.

5. The provider is not required to provide paper copies of course publications.

6. The provider shall maintain electronic records for at least 3 years.

7. The provider shall permit inspection by the Secretary of State of the provider's records at any time.

8. The provider shall notify the Secretary of State in writing of any change in business ownership.

9. The provider shall establish a refund and cancellation policy.

Curriculum requirements include the following.

1. The curriculum must allow students to work at their own pace with time boundaries established for optimal information retention rates.

2. The Secretary of State may allow the written operator's permit to be administered privately and securely over the Internet.

3. The Secretary of State shall require a mandatory eye exam to be given at the time of the first behind-the-wheel instruction.

4. A maximum of one unit of the course may be completed in any 24-hour period.

5. If the student is a minor, the curriculum must include parental involvement.

6. The first 2 units of the Internet-based course must be completed before the student is eligible to begin the behind-the- wheel instruction.

7. A final exam may be administered on-line. The final exam must include 30 questions, including those required by the Secretary of State. Eighty percent of the questions must be answered correctly to pass the course. A course completion certificate may be issued in a printable form over the Internet.