60-4,122. Operator's license; state identification card; renewal procedure; law examination; exceptions; department; powers.

(1) Except as otherwise provided in subsections (2), (3), and (8) of this section, no original or renewal operator's license shall be issued to any person until such person has demonstrated his or her ability to operate a motor vehicle safely as provided in section 60-4,114.

(2) Except as otherwise provided in this section and section 60-4,127, any person who renews his or her Class O or Class M license shall demonstrate his or her ability to drive and maneuver a motor vehicle safely as provided in subdivision (3)(b) of section 60-4,114 only at the discretion of department personnel, except that a person required to use bioptic or telescopic lenses shall be required to demonstrate his or her ability to drive and maneuver a motor vehicle safely each time he or she renews his or her license.

(3) Any person who renews his or her Class O or Class M license prior to or within one year after its expiration may not be required to demonstrate his or her knowledge of the motor vehicle laws of this state as provided in subdivision (3)(c) of section 60-4,114 if his or her driving record abstract maintained in the computerized records of the department shows that such person's license is not impounded, suspended, revoked, or canceled.

(4) Except for operators' licenses issued to persons required to use bioptic or telescopic lenses, any person who renews his or her operator's license which has been valid for fifteen months or less shall not be required to take any examination required under section 60-4,114.

(5) Any person who renews a state identification card shall appear before department personnel and present his or her current state identification card or shall follow the procedure for electronic renewal in subsection (9) of this section. Proof of identification shall be required as prescribed in sections 60-484 and 60-4,181 and the information and documentation required by section 60-484.04.

(6) A nonresident who applies for an initial operator's license in this state and who holds a valid operator's license from another state which is his or her state of residence may not be required to demonstrate his or her knowledge of the motor vehicle laws of this state if he or she surrenders to the department his or her valid out-of-state operator's license.

(7) An applicant for an original operator's license may not be required to demonstrate his or her knowledge of the motor vehicle laws of this state if he or she has been issued a Nebraska LPD-learner's permit that is valid or has been expired for no more than one year. The written examination shall not be waived if the original operator's license being applied for contains a class or endorsement which is different from the class or endorsement of the Nebraska LPD-learner's permit.

(8)(a) A qualified licensee as determined by the department who is twenty-one years of age or older, whose license expires prior to his or her seventy-second birthday, and who has a digital image and digital signature preserved in the digital system may renew his or her Class O or Class M license twice by electronic means in a manner prescribed by the department using the preserved digital image and digital signature without taking any examination required under section 60-4,114 if such renewal is prior to or within one year after the expiration of the license, if his or her driving record abstract maintained in the records of the department shows that such person's license is not impounded, suspended, revoked, or canceled, and if his or her driving record indicates that he or she is otherwise eligible. Every licensee, including a licensee who is out of the state at the time of renewal, must apply for renewal in person at least once every sixteen years and have a new digital image and digital signature captured.

(b) In order to allow for an orderly progression through the various types of operators' licenses issued to persons under twenty-one years of age, a qualified holder of an operator's license who is under twenty-one years of age and who has a digital image and digital signature preserved in the digital system may apply for an operator's license by electronic means in a manner prescribed by the department using the preserved digital image and digital signature if the applicant has passed any required examinations prior to application, if his or her driving record abstract maintained in the records of the department shows that such person's operator's license is not impounded, suspended, revoked, or canceled, and if his or her driving record indicates that he or she is otherwise eligible.

(9) Any person who is twenty-one years of age or older and who has been issued a state identification card with a digital image and digital signature may electronically renew his or her state identification card by electronic means in a manner prescribed by the department using the preserved digital image and digital signature. Every person renewing a state identification card under this subsection, including a person who is out of the state at the time of renewal, must apply for renewal in person at least once every sixteen years and have a new digital image and digital signature captured.

(10) In addition to services available at driver license offices, the department may develop requirements for using electronic means for online issuance of operators' licenses and state identification cards to qualified holders as determined by the department.

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