Yet another bill aimed at making sure truck drivers can read and speak English has been introduced.
Last week, the Secure Commercial Driver Licensing Act was introduced in the Senate and the House. The bill would ensure a CDL applicant’s English proficiency by requiring that tests be conducted only in English. The bill would allow the Department of Transportation secretary to suspend or revoke a state’s authority to issue non-domiciled CDLs if they aren’t compliant with federal standards.
Under the bill, an individual must possess a driver’s license for at least one year before being eligible for a CDL.
The Senate version, S3013, is led by Sens. Tom Cotton, R-Ark.; Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn.; and Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala. The House bill, HR5767, is sponsored by Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky.
“For everyone’s safety, you must be able to read and understand English road signs when operating a commercial vehicle,” Cotton said in a news release. “Our bill would require commercial drivers to pass the test given in English.”
The Secure Commercial Driver Licensing Act is the latest attempt to address concerns regarding English proficiency and non-domiciled CDLs in the trucking industry.
On Oct. 8, Sen. Cynthia Lummis introduced S2991. The bill would put President Donald Trump’s executive order regarding English proficiency for CDL holders into law.
Trump’s executive order, which was issued on April 28, called the ability to speak and read English “a non-negotiable safety requirement for professional drivers.”
Lummis’ bill is the Senate version of “Connor’s Law,” which was introduced by Rep. Dave Taylor, R-Ohio, in May. Connor’s Law refers to Connor Dzion, who died at the age of 18 in a crash involving a tractor-trailer. A separate collision caused Dzion to be stuck in traffic for about an hour when a truck crashed into a line of stopped vehicles. The truck driver reportedly was unable to read English and passed signs set up by Florida law enforcement warning of the crash ahead.
Similar to Lummis’ bill, the Non-Domiciled CDL Integrity Act would put the Trump administration’s actions into law.
Rep. David Rouzer, R-N.C., introduced HR5688 earlier this month. Essentially, the bill would implement the U.S. DOT’s recent interim final rule, “Restoring Integrity to the Issuance of Non-Domiciled Commercial Driver’s Licenses,” into law.
The interim final rule, as well as Rouzer’s bill, would drastically reduce the number of non-domiciled CDLs that can be issued. An Employment Authorization Document (EAD) would no longer be enough to obtain a non-domiciled CDL. Additionally, asylum seekers, asylees, refugees and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients would be excluded from eligibility. The majority of current non-domiciled CDL-holders possessed an EAD.
Rouzer’s bill is significant because the DOT’s interim final rule on non-domiciled CDLs could easily be changed once a new administration takes office. Changing a law, however, would be a much more difficult hurdle to overcome.
Other bills
On Sept. 30, Rep. Beth Van Duyne, R-Texas, introduced the Protecting America’s Roads Act. HR5670 would create additional requirements before a CDL can be issued to a non-U.S. citizen.
On Sept. 8, Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., introduced the Weigh Station Enforcement to Intercept and Guard Highways (WEIGH) Act. HR5177 would direct the DOT to ensure that states enforce English-proficiency requirements and review CDLs for irregularities during checks at weigh stations.
In June, Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., introduced the Commercial Motor Vehicle Proficiency Act. S2114 would require drivers to be tested for English proficiency before receiving a commercial driver’s license. LL
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