The House’s version of Dalilah’s Law, which could change how CDLs are given out and affect driving schools, passed the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee on Wednesday with a 35-26 vote. This is just the first step, and there are different versions in the House and the Senate.
The bill is named after Dalilah Coleman, a girl from California who was badly hurt in 2024 at age five when a truck driven by an undocumented immigrant hit her. Dalilah and her family were at the hearing and voted for the bill.
Rep. David Rouzer, a Republican from North Carolina, introduced the bill. Senator Jim Banks from Indiana introduced a similar bill in the Senate, which President Trump supported in this year’s State of the Union speech.
The Senate bill, S. 3917, has been referred to the Senate’s Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. There are no scheduled hearings or markups in the Senate as of Wednesday.
Both bills aim to prevent people without lawful status in the U.S. from obtaining commercial driver’s licenses.
Rouzer said too many undocumented immigrants have come into the country, and some have gotten CDLs, which he believes is dangerous for the public.
The House bill mainly focuses on English skills for drivers.
The House bill primarily focuses on ensuring drivers can speak and understand English.
The bill says drivers must be able to read, speak, and understand English well enough to talk to police, read road signs, answer questions, and fill out paperwork.
At first, police or inspectors will decide if a driver’s English is good enough. If not, the driver will not be allowed to work.
What people who oppose the bill are saying
A year after the bill becomes law, the Secretary of Transportation will tell states how to enforce the English rules.
Rick Larsen, the top Democrat on the committee, said the bill was rushed.
He said Democrats did not help write the bill and wants both parties to work together on transportation laws.
Larsen said he understands the problem the bill tries to fix. He pointed out that many people die in truck crashes every day.
Larsen thinks some parts of the bill are not needed because the government already requires drivers to know English and removes those who fail the test.
He also disagreed with the rule that drivers who fail the English test cannot work for a year. He compared this to punishing drunk drivers.
Right after a new FMCSA rule
The House voted just after a new rule took effect that could stop about 200,000 drivers who have CDLs from states where they don’t live from driving.
That non-domiciled rule was published on February 13, with the effective date 30 days later. FMCSA has provided a list of FAQs on the regulation.
Larsen is worried that the new law could stop people in the DACA program or refugees from getting CDLs, even if they are in the U.S. legally.
He said the bill would make it harder for legal immigrants and refugees to get driving jobs, which he thinks is unfair.
The House bill does not have the 180-day rule.
The Senate bill, but not the House bill, would require all CDL holders to recertify 180 days after the law takes effect. If not, they would lose their license.
The House bill also requires the Department of Transportation to issue new rules for driver training schools within 18 months. The Senate bill does not mention this.
Rouzer said some training schools let unqualified drivers get CDLs too easily.
He said last year, almost 3,000 training schools were shut down for breaking the rules or lying about training, which could put unsafe drivers on the road.
The House bill also tries to stop dishonest dispatching companies. The Senate bill does not include this.
The House bill would allow the DOT to register dispatchers who are not in the U.S., Canada, or Mexico if they are licensed in those countries.
Both bills let the federal government stop giving transportation money to states that do not follow the law.
Supporters say the bill will help prevent unqualified drivers from obtaining CDLs by establishing higher training standards for schools.
