GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 2003

S                                                                                                                                                     1

SENATE BILL 263

Short Title:     Drivers License Expires When Visa Expires.		(Public)
Sponsors:	Senators Brock;  Apodaca, Blake, Carpenter, Forrester, Foxx, Garwood, Shubert, Sloan, Tillman, and Webster.
Referred to:	Judiciary II.

March 3, 2003

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT to require that drivers licenses issued based on a valid alien registration shall expire when the valid alien registration expires.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.  G.S. 20‑7(f) reads as rewritten:

"(f)      Expiration and Temporary License. – The first drivers license the Division issues to a person expires on the person's fourth or subsequent birthday that occurs after the license is issued and on which the individual's age is evenly divisible by five, unless this subsection sets a different expiration date. A first drivers license may shall be issued for a shorter duration if the Division determines that a license of shorter duration should be issued when the applicant holds a visa valid alien registration of limited duration issued by the United States Department of State. Homeland Security. The first drivers license the Division issues to a person who is at least 17 years old but is less than 18 years old expires on the person's twentieth birthday. The first drivers license the Division issues to a person who is at least 62 years old expires on the person's birthday in the fifth year after the license is issued, whether or not the person's age on that birthday is evenly divisible by five.

A drivers license that was issued by the Division and is renewed by the Division expires five years after the expiration date of the license that is renewed unless the Division determines that a license of shorter duration should shall be issued when the applicant holds a visa of limited duration from the United States Department of State. Homeland Security. A person may apply to the Division to renew a license during the 180‑day period before the license expires. The Division may not accept an application for renewal made before the 180‑day period begins.Any license issued to a noncitizen shall automatically expire when the applicant's presence is no longer authorized under federal law. The expiration date on the license shall reflect the expiration date of the applicant's authorized presence in the United States as verified by the United States Department of Homeland Security.

The Division may renew by mail a drivers license issued by the Division to a person who meets any of the following descriptions:

(1)       Is serving on active duty in the armed forces of the United States and is stationed outside this State.

(2)       Is a resident of this State and has been residing outside the State for at least 30 continuous days.

When renewing a license by mail, the Division may waive the examination that would otherwise be required for the renewal and may impose any conditions it finds advisable. A license renewed by mail is a temporary license that expires 60 days after the person to whom it is issued returns to this State."

SECTION 2.  This act becomes effective October 1, 2003.