The Dalilah Law

Summary#

This bill, called the Dalilah Law, would change federal rules about who may get or keep a commercial driver's license (CDL). It would bar States from issuing CDLs to people who are not citizens or lawful permanent residents of the United States unless those people hold certain nonimmigrant work visas named in the bill. The bill requires States to recertify all current CDL holders within 180 days of the law taking effect. Recertification must verify (1) the person is a U.S. citizen, a lawful permanent resident, or a nonimmigrant described in the cited visa subparagraphs and holding a valid visa; (2) the person is proficient in English as described in 49 C.F.R. 391.11(b)(2); and (3) the person passed all required CDL exams in English. The bill adds a lifetime disqualification for operating a commercial motor vehicle while not meeting the citizenship, residency, or specified visa requirements, with narrow exceptions the bill describes. As enforcement, the Secretary of Transportation must withhold all "covered funding" from any State that fails to complete required recertifications or revocations, issues CDLs to ineligible individuals, or administers covered examinations in languages other than English.

What it means for you#

• If you hold a CDL, your State would have to recertify your license within 180 days and verify your immigration or visa status, English proficiency, and that you passed exams in English.
• If you are not a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, or one of the specific nonimmigrant visa holders named in the bill, you could lose your CDL and be disqualified from operating a commercial motor vehicle.
• States that do not follow the bill’s requirements risk losing all "covered funding" from the Secretary of Transportation.

Expenses#

• No publicly available information on estimated federal or State costs or savings is included in the bill text or metadata.
• The bill requires the Secretary to withhold all covered funding from States that fail to comply with recertification, revocation, status verification, or English-language testing requirements. The bill defines "covered funding" as funding the Secretary is authorized to provide to a State or for a project or activity in that State under any federal law.

Proponents' View#

No publicly available information in the bill text or the provided metadata states the sponsors' or supporters' arguments or stated reasons for the bill.

Opponents' View#

No publicly available information in the bill text or the provided metadata states opponents' arguments or stated reasons against the bill.