Congresswoman Harriet Hageman Introduces STOP Improper Licensing Act Amidst FMCSA-New York CDL Dispute
Congresswoman Harriet Hageman has introduced the Strengthening Transportation Oversight and Preventing (STOP) Improper Licensing Act. This bill mandates federal safety regulators to audit states that issue non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) to individuals who are not legally present in the U.S. or are otherwise unqualified. The introduction of this legislation comes amidst an ongoing legal dispute between the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and the state of New York. The FMCSA has withheld approximately $73 million in federal funds from New York, alleging that the state issued CDLs with expiration dates exceeding the period of validity of the drivers’ lawful presence documents. New York, in turn, argues that the FMCSA is enforcing a rule that does not explicitly exist in federal regulations. 
