With Rep. Edmund S. Villagomez, Covenant-Saipan, and Rep. Froilan C. Tenorio, Covenant-Saipan, absent, all 18 House members present voted to pass Senate Bill 17-20.
Introduced by Senate Floor Leader Pete P. Reyes, R-Saipan, S.B. 17-20 said because of the high cost of attending driving class, BMV should have its own driver education program.
The existing driver education class, which was mandated by an earlier law passed by the Legislature, costs a student $350.
Reyes said this is something most young students cannot afford.
S.B. 17-20, its proponents said, does not temporarily suspend the driver education program and no intention to put the private driving school out of business.
But it will allow the cash-strapped government to compete with the private driving school.
Rich Puhalla, the owner of Driving Training Academy, was in the House gallery while members deliberated and voted on the measure. He declined to comment.
In an interview yesterday, Reyes said S.B. 17-20 is “very important” because “there’s a lot of parents and students who have been calling” lawmakers about it.
He said when he was invited recently at Saipan Southern High School to talk about a different topic, Reyes said the students brought up the driver’s license issue.
“So it seemed to me that this is very important for the young drivers who cannot afford the amount required to get a driver’s license. If this bill becomes law, it will legitimize many of these young drivers who are now driving without a license,” he said.
Reyes also found out that Marianas High School prohibits students with no driver’s license to park their vehicles at MHS.
He said many of the students now park their cars either at Joeten, in front of the courthouse or across from MHS.
“This is something that this bill would address. It is very hard for our students. I hope that parents and young drivers who look forward to apply for a driver’s license would call up the administration and asked them to sign this into law,” Reyes said.
