[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 109 (Monday, June 26, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H5146-H5147]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    ACTIVE DUTY VOLUNTARY ACQUISITION OF NECESSARY CREDENTIALS FOR 
                             EMPLOYMENT ACT

  Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules 
and pass the bill (H.R. 2258) to require that certain standards for 
commercial driver's licenses applicable to former members of the armed 
services or reserves also apply to current members of the armed 
services or reserves, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 2258


       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Active Duty Voluntary 
     Acquisition of Necessary Credentials for Employment Act'' or 
     the ``ADVANCE Act''.

     SEC. 2. COMMERCIAL DRIVER'S LICENSE STANDARDS FOR SERVICE 
                   MEMBERS AND VETERANS.

       Section 31305(d) of title 49, United States Code, is 
     amended--
       (1) in the subsection heading, by striking ``Veteran 
     Operators'' and inserting ``Service Members, Reservists, and 
     Veterans'';
       (2) in paragraph (1)(B), by striking ``subparagraph (A) 
     during'' and inserting ``subparagraph (A)--
       ``(i) while serving in the armed forces or reserve 
     components; and
       ``(ii) during''; and
       (3) in paragraph (2)(B), by inserting ``current or'' before 
     ``former'' each place the term appears.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Missouri (Mr. Graves) and the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia 
(Ms. Norton) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Missouri.


                             General Leave

  Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that 
all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend 
their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 2258.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Missouri?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Madam Speaker, the Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act, or 
FAST Act, authorized the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to 
exempt veterans from certain requirements in order to obtain a 
commercial driver's license if they had qualified experience while 
serving in the armed services or Reserve components.
  H.R. 2258 would extend this exemption to individuals who are 
currently serving in either the armed services or Reserve components.
  This is a bipartisan bill that will help current members of the armed 
services or Reserve components find employment in the private sector.
  Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2258, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2258, as amended, 
which will allow current servicemembers who have military experience 
operating commercial motor vehicles to more easily obtain a commercial 
driver's license.
  In 2015, Congress included a provision in the FAST Act to allow 
States to waive the written CDL knowledge test for drivers with 
military commercial motor vehicle driving experience, but it restricts 
the waiver to former members of the military. There are a significant 
number of current reservists and members of the National Guard with 
military commercial motor vehicle experience who could benefit from the 
waiver. This legislation allows them to more easily use the skills they 
learned serving our country to earn a decent wage and feed their 
families.
  These servicemen and servicewomen receive from the Federal Motor 
Carrier Safety Administration, or FMCSA, what they describe as thorough 
and comprehensive training, including many hours of behind-the-wheel 
training--something that we have long advocated for as a requirement 
for civilian drivers. There is a shortage of commercial truck drivers, 
and these well-trained military drivers are exactly the type of 
individuals that we would want to help enter the trucking profession.
  Using its existing exemption authority, FMCSA has already taken 
action to make current servicemembers eligible for the knowledge test 
waiver on a temporary basis. Last October, FMCSA issued an exemption 
that allows States to waive the CDL knowledge test for trained military 
truck drivers, whether they are current members of the military or 
veterans.
  FMCSA cited the fact that training these drivers receive in the 
military includes ``many hours of classroom training, practical skills 
training, and on-the-road training that are essential for safe 
driving.'' However, FMCSA's temporary exemption expires in October 
2018. This bill would make permanent the ability for current members of 
the military to utilize the FAST Act waiver.
  Madam Speaker, I strongly support this legislation, and I urge its 
adoption.

[[Page H5147]]

  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers, 
and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Aguilar), my good friend.
  Mr. AGUILAR. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.
  Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the Active Duty Voluntary 
Acquisition of Necessary Credentials for Employment Act, or the ADVANCE 
Act.
  The ADVANCE Act will allow Active Duty servicemembers, reservists, 
and National Guardsmen the same unique testing standards for commercial 
driver's licenses granted to veterans by the latest surface 
transportation bill, the Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act, 
the FAST Act.
  The FAST Act allows veterans with qualifying experience to be exempt 
from State knowledge-based tests when obtaining commercial driver's 
licenses. The ADVANCE Act would extend this exemption to Active Duty 
servicemembers, reservists, and National Guardsmen.
  I introduced the ADVANCE Act to ensure that Active Duty 
servicemembers and reservists have access to the same benefits as 
veterans, helping to smooth their transition from military to civilian 
life. We owe it to our brave men and women to help them find work here 
at home.

  This bipartisan bill is a commonsense measure that will create 
opportunities for servicemembers to find work in their communities by 
simplifying how they translate the driving skills they learned in the 
military to American jobs across this country. According to the 
Department of Transportation, the ADVANCE Act can help nearly 75,000 
Active Duty, Reserves, and National Guardsmen throughout the United 
States.
  This legislation comes at a critical time. According to the American 
Trucking Associations, there is an estimated 40,000 truck driver 
shortage nationally. The American Trucking Associations has endorsed 
the ADVANCE Act because it will help put servicemembers back to work 
here at home and it will allow us to close a troubling skills gap in 
our local communities.
  The ADVANCE Act has also been endorsed by the Association of the 
United States Navy and The Retired Enlisted Association. It was 
unanimously passed out of the Transportation and Infrastructure 
Committee, and has strong bipartisan support.
  Additionally, Senators Cornyn and Warren have introduced a bipartisan 
companion bill in the Senate.
  I urge my colleagues to join me today and support this bill so we can 
make this commonsense change to ensure that all current and former 
members of the military with specialized training can more easily 
access the licenses they need to get good-paying jobs as they 
transition to civilian life.
  Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Madam Speaker, I continue to reserve the 
balance of my time.
  Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I want to thank Mr. Aguilar, who is the author of this bill, for his 
work in filling this hole so that members of the National Guard and 
reservists, indeed, are more easily able to obtain a commercial 
driver's license based on exactly the kind of training that the armed 
services gives.
  It is certainly true that we have had trouble in committee getting 
on-the-job training as a requirement.

                              {time}  1730

  Here, we have people who get on-the-job training, and on-the-job 
training of just the kind that our country needs, because of the 
shortage Mr. Aguilar spoke of in commercial drivers, a very difficult 
job that necessitates long hours, often away from one's own home and 
family.
  Madam Speaker, I regard this bill as a twin of the very first bill 
that we passed, the VA bill that allows the Veterans Administration to 
offer physical examinations, when we were alerted that there were only 
25 physicians there who could do that.
  So this is a good pairing of bills that our country needs because of 
the shortage of commercial drivers, and that we owe our veterans and 
those who serve, even now, in our services. I am particularly pleased 
that this is a jobs bill. It seems to me that it is clear that when we 
enable more and more people to drive commercial trucks, we are 
increasing the supply of jobs available in our country.
  These are high-paying jobs for good reason, because they are 
difficult jobs, so I think this bill and our first bill are bills that 
the bipartisan House today can take special pride in.
  Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Madam Speaker, with that, I urge my 
colleagues to join me in supporting this important piece of 
legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Graves of Missouri) that the House 
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 2258, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and 
nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

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