(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Transportation Commission has approved some driver’s license rule changes to comply with changes passed by lawmakers in the last legislative session. D-O-T Motor Vehicle Division director, Melissa Gillett, says one change involves school licenses. She says the changes allow driving for farm-related purposes with a minor school license if the holder is employed by a farm and the distance driven is no more than 50 miles. Those who are 14-and-half can get a minor school license and drive to and from school and school activities by themselves between 5 a-m and 10 p-m.

“Prior to the 2021 legislative change, driving for farm-related purposes was not a permitted operation of the minor school license,” Gillette says. Gillette says they did have one question about home-school kids being able to use a minor school license for farm work. “A school administrator is required to approve the minor school license — and home school students are eligible to be issued a minor school license if they are dual-enrolled in a school — and their designated school official provides that certificate of need for the license,” according to Gillette.

The Transportation Commission also approved rules allowing drivers who have a commercial driver’s license or C-D-L to renew online. “Prior to the 2021 legislative change, a C-D-L holder was not able to renew their license electronically — even though online renewal has been an option for several years for non-commercial driver’s license holders,” Gillette says. She says the rules create the online C-D-L renewals with a few special provisions those license holders must meet to renew online.