OLYMPIA – The state House of Representatives this morning unanimously endorsed Rep. Luis Moscoso’s House Bill 1229, but not before engaging in a round of good-natured camaraderie with the new lawmaker over his commercial driver’s licensing bill.
“This measure is necessary to maintain important federal highway funds for our state,” said Moscoso, a Democrat from Mountlake Terrace serving his first term in the Legislature.
“Next year all 50 states will have to comply with revised federal requirements, including new rules for driver’s certifications, medical examiner’s certificates, and other recordkeeping,” Moscoso explained. “My bill writes changes in existing law to make sure our commercial drivers are in compliance with these new rules so that we don’t lose these funds.”
Failing to meet the revised federal requirements would result in de-certification of commercial driver’s licenses, thus squandering federal funds for Washington highways and rendering commercial drivers here ineligible to operate in interstate commerce.
Moscoso’s House colleagues followed a long-established tradition on first-bills passed, when the Speaker opened the floor for remarks on the legislation, some members made playful light of the measure and its sponsor. In a wholly celebratory manner, one member said that he would actually oppose Moscoso’s commercial-driver’s license bill because he didn’t want commercials all over his driver’s license – a remark that brought the House down, no pun intended.
But then cooler, more mature heads prevailed. And once the vote had been officially recorded, Rep. Marko Liias (D-Edmonds) took the floor on a “point of personal privilege” to emphasize that he wanted “to congratulate our friend, the new representative from the 1st District, on passing his first bill – so it’s the first from the 1st this session!”
Friends and colleagues from both sides of the aisle approached Moscoso with hearty handshakes, pats on the back, applause and words of support and comradeship for successfully steering his premiere measure through the House.
Moscoso’s bill now heads to the Senate for more consideration.