[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 150 (Wednesday, September 25, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H5780-H5781]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
VETERAN IMPROVEMENT COMMERCIAL DRIVER LICENSE ACT OF 2023
Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill
(S. 656) to amend title 38, United States Code, to revise the rules for
approval by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs of commercial driver
education programs for purposes of veterans educational assistance, and
for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
S. 656
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 ``Veteran Improvement
Commercial Driver License Act of 2023''.
SEC. 2. MODIFICATION OF RULES FOR APPROVAL OF COMMERCIAL
DRIVER EDUCATION PROGRAMS FOR PURPOSES OF
VETERANS EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE.
(a) In General.--Section 3680A(e) of title 38, United
States Code, is amended--
(1) by redesignating paragraphs (1) through (3) as
subparagraphs (A) though (C), respectively;
(2) in the matter before subparagraph (A), as redesignated
by paragraph (1), by inserting ``(1)'' before ``The
Secretary'';
(3) in paragraph (1)(B), as redesignated by paragraph (1),
by inserting ``except as provided in paragraph (2),'' before
``the course''; and
(4) by adding at the end the following new paragraph (2):
``(2)(A) Subject to this paragraph, a commercial driver
education program is exempt from paragraph (1)(B) for a
branch of an educational institution if the commercial driver
education program offered at the branch by the educational
institution--
``(i) is appropriately licensed; and
``(ii) uses the same curriculum as a commercial driver
education program offered by the educational institution at
another location that is approved for purposes of this
chapter by a State approving agency or the Secretary when
acting in the role of a State approving agency.
``(B)(i) In order for a commercial driver education program
of an educational institution offered at a branch described
in paragraph (1)(B) to be exempt under subparagraph (A) of
this paragraph, the educational institution shall submit to
the Secretary each year that paragraph (1)(B) would otherwise
apply a report that demonstrates that the curriculum at the
new branch is the same as the curriculum at the primary
location.
``(ii) Reporting under clause (i) shall be submitted in
accordance with such requirements as the Secretary shall
establish in consultation with the State approving agencies.
``(C)(i) The Secretary may withhold an exemption under
subparagraph (A) for any educational institution or branch of
an educational institution as the Secretary considers
appropriate.
``(ii) In making any determination under clause (i), the
Secretary may consult with the Secretary of Transportation on
the performance of a provider of a commercial driver program,
including the status of the provider within the Training
Provider Registry of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety
Administration when appropriate.''.
(b) Implementation.--
(1) Establishment of requirements.--Not later than 180 days
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of
Veterans Affairs shall establish requirements under section
3680A(e)(2)(B)(ii) of such title, as added by subsection (a).
(2) Applicability.--The amendments made by subsection (a)
shall apply to commercial driver education programs on and
after the date that is 180 days after the date on which the
Secretary establishes the requirements under paragraph (1) of
this subsection.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Illinois (Mr. Bost) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Takano) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Illinois.
General Leave
Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on
S. 656.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Illinois?
There was no objection.
Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 656 offered by my
colleague, Senator Fischer from Nebraska. This would cut through the
red tape for the approval process for commercial driving schools across
the country.
House Republicans' priority is to expand the employment opportunities
for veterans after they leave the military.
As a former truck driver and a former manager of our family's
trucking business, which I was raised in, I know how important it is to
have qualified drivers.
The American Trucking Institute said they need 60,000 more drivers to
keep the economy moving. This bill allows veterans to help meet that
demand.
We may need to make changes to the law to address some concerns in
the future. However, it is essential that we advance the bill to create
more job opportunities for our veterans. I look forward to continuing
to improve CDL programs, and I urge my colleagues to support S. 656.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak on S. 656, the Veteran Improvement
Commercial Driver License Act of 2023. This bill directs the Department
of Veterans Affairs to create an expedited approval process for
commercial driver education programs when the program is an extension
of an existing educational institution.
New programs must meet the same curriculum as previously approved by
[[Page H5781]]
VA to ensure veterans are not negatively impacted.
While I am considering supporting this bill today, I do wish to point
out that our committee has been working on this bill for months, and we
had reached a House and Senate bipartisan agreement on approved
language for S. 656 that would empower State approving agencies to
conduct proper oversight and limit automatic approval of these programs
if they are opening in States without existing CDL programs.
However, despite these negotiations, for some unknown reason, this
text is the same which passed in the Senate, ignoring the hard work our
staff put in to reach a final agreement.
This is unfortunate, and I hope this won't be our last work on this
language. It is critically important that we include important
oversight provisions in bills such as these to ensure that veterans get
the best possible training and that schools who access veterans' hard-
earned GI Bill benefits are held accountable for the quality of their
programs.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to my colleague, Chairman Bost, for the purpose
of a colloquy to ensure that we can still work to get this bill to a
better state.
Mr. Chairman, I understand both our staffs have spent quite a bit of
time working on bipartisan language to S. 656. Can I get your
commitment that we will continue these discussions and pass an updated
bill as soon as possible? I yield to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr.
Bost).
Mr. BOST. You have my word we will continue to work with your staff
to do the best we can. I think this bill is in very, very good shape
the way it is. As the only one that actually has a CDL, we should
probably realize that the safety is here, that is all good, but I would
be willing to work on it in the future to move it on out today.
Mr. TAKANO. I appreciate that. We can get to work on an updated bill
as soon as possible.
Mr. BOST. Yes.
Mr. TAKANO. I appreciate that pledge.
My second question to you, Mr. Chairman. Can I count on your support
for that amended bill, whenever it may be, this Congress or next?
Mr. BOST. Ask that question again. I am sorry.
Mr. TAKANO. I ask if I can count on your support for that amended
bill?
Mr. BOST. Yes.
Mr. TAKANO. Whenever it may be, this Congress or next?
Mr. BOST. The updated language is in the Dole Act, if we can have the
opportunity to have the Dole Act, too.
Mr. TAKANO. Thank you. I appreciate that. I thank the chairman, and I
will reclaim my time.
Mr. Speaker, while this bill will head to the President's desk, I
hope our committee can continue to work on this issue in the meantime.
Despite my concerns and reservations, I will support this bill now,
and I reserve the balance of my time.
{time} 1415
Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the
gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Edwards).
Mr. EDWARDS. Mr. Speaker, I thank Senators Fischer and Padilla for
their leadership on the Veteran Improvement Commercial Driver License
Act.
I was happy to introduce the House version of this very important
bill, H.R. 2830, and I look forward to the benefit this language will
add on our veterans' quality of life once it becomes law.
Every day, brave men and women join our military to fight for the
American Dream so that each of us can live in a country where we have
the opportunity to succeed and are free to pursue a better way of life.
However, all too often when our servicemembers are transitioning to
civilian life, our government fails in their pursuit of achieving the
American Dream.
A 2016 study by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation found that 53
percent of all veterans were unemployed for at least 4 months after
leaving the military. These are our country's strongest citizens, yet
we repeatedly fail to sufficiently support them as they make the
biggest transition in their life, from servicemember to civilian.
S. 656 and H.R. 2830 make a much-needed change to the veteran
educational assistance programs, expanding job opportunities for the
brave men and women who serve our great Nation.
The VA CDL Act will increase veteran access to timely, quality
commercial driver license training, reduce veteran unemployment or
underemployment, and reduce the strain on our Nation's supply chain by
increasing the truck driver workforce pool.
Currently, roughly 8,400 commercial driving programs are approved for
use by eligible veterans under the GI Bill, but a bureaucratic 2-year
rule prevents these training facilities from accepting GI benefits at
secondary locations for 2 years.
This burdensome red tape has excluded many veterans from attending
closer secondary branch training and dissuaded servicemembers from
joining the trucking industry. Who better knows how to drive big stuff
than our veterans?
Due to this rule, veterans must decide between finding a new career
path, waiting 2 years to pursue their commercial driver's license, or
in some cases traveling hundreds of miles away from their home for
immediate training.
S. 656 and H.R. 2830 fix that issue by exempting new branches of
preapproved training facilities located in the same State from the
statutory 2-year wait to accept veterans' benefits.
It is high time that we take meaningful steps toward better
supporting a veteran's transition into the civilian workforce. Too many
arbitrary rules are impeding a veteran's ability to achieve the very
American Dream that they are fighting for others to pursue, but the VA
CDL Act helps to eliminate one of those barriers.
Ultimately, this is a commonsense reform bill that will reduce
unnecessary roadblocks to veteran training and workforce opportunities,
and I urge all my colleagues to support it.
Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield
myself the balance of my time to close.
Mr. Speaker, I support S. 656, the Veteran Improvement Commercial
Driver License Act of 2023, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, as a veteran and as a person that drove big
stuff, I encourage all of my colleagues to support this bill. I yield
back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Feenstra). The question is on the motion
offered by the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Bost) that the House
suspend the rules and pass the bill, S. 656.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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