OLYMPIA–The House concurred with Senate amendments to a bill which will make it easier for truckers and the businesses who rely upon them.
House Bill 1273 will align Washington’s state statute with federal standards. These standards recently changed and federal rules now allow states to grant commercial driver’s licenses and learner’s permits to workers who are legally present in the United States.
“This bill makes a lot of sense,” said Rep. Cindy Ryu (D-Shoreline), author of the legislation. “We have a legal workforce willing to help transport goods that consumers need. This simply aligns state law with federal law so these workers have a legal path forward to obtain their CDL so they can keep our economy moving.”
Washington state’s economy currently relies heavily on workers who are legally present with temporary work visas.
Without aligning our policies to those of the federal government, our state would be deprived of many currently licensed truck drivers. Under this legislation, the Department of Licensing will continue to check the lawful presence of an applicant.
HB 1273 received significant bipartisan support in both the House and Senate and received an 80-15 vote in the House concurrence vote. It now heads to the Governor’s desk to be signed into law.