Gov. Little vetoes parental driver’s education bill

BOISE, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) —Idaho lawmakers are stunned that Gov. Brad Little vetoed a bill related to student driver education with overwhelming support in the House and the Senate.

The Governor denied legislation allowing qualifying parents and legal guardians to be private educators for Class D driver’s training instruction permits.

HB133 aimed to help citizens from rural areas who must travel long distances to take their children to required public or private driver’s education instructors.

In a letter to House members, the governor said the legislation creates inconsistencies in training guidelines.

When training students for driving on the roadways there need to be clear, consistent guidelines, as safety is of the utmost importance

With a 39 to 29 vote the House failed to override the governor’s veto.

“I would just remind the body (House) that this bill does not require the parent, or teacher to install dual brakes, or put any signage on the car, to alert other drivers that there is an inexperienced driver, driving down I -84, a state highway or U.S. highway,” Rep. Steve Berch said.

Rep. Vito Barbier countered by saying, “We need to override this. If we are going to talk about safety, we need to recognize that parents are the best teachers for children. They have a vested interest in the children. and making sure they drive safely.”

The legislation passed the house 61 to 8 in February, and the Senate 23 to 12 earlier this month.

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