{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.cotton.senate.gov/news/press-releases/cotton-barr-colleagues-introduce-bill-to-conduct-english-only-cdl-tests", "Cotton, Barr, Colleagues Introduce Bill to Conduct English-Only CDL Tests", "2025-10-16", "2025", "2025-10", "Republican", "Senate", "AR", "Tom Cotton", "C001095", "www.cotton.senate.gov", "cotton", "https://www.cotton.senate.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE\n\nContact: Patrick McCann (202) 224-2353\n\nOctober 16, 2025\n\nCotton, Barr, Colleagues Introduce Bill to Conduct English-Only CDL Tests\n\nWashington, DC \u2014 Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas), Senator Bill Hagerty (R-Tennessee) and Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama) today introduced the Secure Commercial Driver Licensing Act. This legislation will require all commercial driver\u2019s license (CDL) testing to be conducted in English only and allows the Transportation Secretary to suspend or revoke a state\u2019s authority to issue non-domiciled CDLs if they aren\u2019t compliant with federal standards.\n\nCongressman Andy Barr (Kentucky-6) introduced companion legislation in the House.\n\n\u201cFor everyone\u2019s safety, you must be able to read and understand English road signs when operating a commercial vehicle. Our bill would require commercial drivers to pass the test given in English,\u201d said Senator Cotton.\n\n\u201cIf you drive a truck in the United States, you should be able to speak English fluently. This protects our law enforcement officers and the general public. This is not only about safety and efficiency \u2013 it\u2019s just commonsense. Whether taking their kids to school, driving to work, or going to the grocery store, Americans shouldn\u2019t feel in danger every time they get on the road,\u201d said Senator Tuberville.\n\n\u201cBy issuing CDLs to illegal immigrants, states like California are undermining federal law and endangering public safety. Our bill restores accountability by strengthening President Trump\u2019s authority to hold liberal states in check when they defy federal law and recklessly grant CDLs to illegal immigrants,\u201d said Congressman Barr.\n\nText of the bill can be found here.\n\nThe Secure Commercial Driver Licensing Act would:\n\nRequire all testing related to the issuance or renewal of a commercial driver\u2019s license (CDL), including non-domiciled CDLs, to be conducted only in English.\n\nEmpower the Secretary of Transportation to suspend or revoke a state\u2019s authority to issue non-domiciled CDLs if found non-compliant with federal standards.\n\nRequire individuals to hold a standard driver\u2019s license for one year before obtaining a CDL.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:32:54Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.cotton.senate.gov/news/press-releases/cotton-barr-colleagues-introduce-bill-to-conduct-english-only-cdl-tests"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.7745770271867514, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}