HB 217 North Carolina House · 2025-2026 Session

Driver Education/18 Years and Older and Unlicensed.

HB 217 requires individuals aged 18 and older who are applying for a North Carolina driver's license and are not licensed in another state or haven't completed a state driver education course to complete a mandatory alcohol and drug abuse awareness course. This also applies to applicants licensed in other countries. The three-hour course, available online or in person, will cover the effects of substance abuse on driving, state traffic laws, and high-risk driving behaviors. Third-party vendors will offer these courses under the Division's oversight, and participants will pay a fee.

Issues: ✓ Transportation

Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2025

Committee Review

Apr 2025

House Passage

Apr 2025

Senate Passage

Governor

Introduced Feb 25, 2025 Last action Apr 30, 2025

Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

Edition 1 → Edition 2 · 5 edits

MODERATE

The bill was revised to shift its focus from a mandatory alcohol and drug awareness course to a broader mandatory driver education course. The new version requires applicants aged 18 and older to complete a full driver education curriculum (currently G.S. 20-330) rather than just a short three-hour awareness session. This change expands the educational requirements for new drivers and clarifies that the course must be offered by licensed commercial driver training schools.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded from a specific short course on substance abuse awareness to a comprehensive driver education course that includes substance abuse topics as part of a larger curriculum.

REQUIREMENT

The mandatory course changed from a specific three-hour alcohol and drug awareness class to a full driver education course prescribed in G.S. 20-330.

Added a requirement that the course must be offered by licensed commercial driver training schools.

The course content now explicitly includes laws of the state, physiological/psychological consequences of drug and alcohol use, and high-risk driving behaviors, replacing the previous standalone focus on substance abuse.

ELIGIBILITY

Clarified that the course completion requirement does not apply to applicants who already hold or have previously held a driver's license in North Carolina or another state.

TECHNICAL

The bill was amended to reference the correct statute (G.S. 20-7 and G.S. 20-330) and reorganized the section numbering to align with the General Statutes.

Floor votes · House Apr 29, 2025

How they voted

114–2

Passed · 5 other

Total votes 121

Apr 29, 2025

D Democratic46

41 Yea 2 Nay 3

89% Yea

I Independent2

2 Yea

100% Yea

R Republican73

71 Yea 2

97% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Apr 30, 2025

Committee

Ref To Com On Rules and Operations of the Senate

upper

Apr 29, 2025

Lower · Passed

Passed 3rd Reading

lower

Apr 15, 2025

Lower · Passed

Reptd Fav

lower

Apr 9, 2025

Committee

Re-ref Com On Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House

lower

Apr 9, 2025

Committee

Re-ref Com On Finance

lower

Apr 9, 2025

Lower · Passed

Reptd Fav Com Substitute

lower

Feb 27, 2025

Committee

Ref to the Com on Transportation, if favorable, Finance, if favorable, Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House

lower

Feb 25, 2025

Introduced

Filed

lower

2 primary · 9 co-sponsors