Rich Puhalla, in an interview, said Senate Bill 17-20, which authorizes BMV to establish a driver education program, is “unprecedented.”
Across the U.S., BMV usually provides only a driving test before issuing a driver’s license. BMV doesn’t usually have classrooms and the kind of teaching methods provided to student drivers.
Pulhall believes there is no precedent for tasking BMV to establish the kind of program that a driving school already has.
His Driving Training Academy was created following the enactment of Public Law 15-25 in Aug. 2006.
Residents told Variety that prior to the establishment of the driving school, there was a number of vehicular accidents that involved teenagers.
This has changed since the opening of the driving school, said the residents who declined to be identified.
Puhalla doesn’t believe that BMV can offer the quality education his school is already providing its students.
The House of Representatives made several amendments to S.B. 17-20 before it unanimously passed the bill on Thursday last week. The measure now returns to the Senate.
The original Senate version of the people would temporarily suspend the driver education requirement for students driving for the first time, and authorize the Public School System to teach them how to drive.
Instead of temporarily suspending the driver education requirement, the bill as amended by the House now authorizes BMV and not PSS to establish a driver education program.
