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Driver-license bill for H-2A workers fails after committee questions about verification and safety
Summary
House Bill 16-23, which would remove the driving skills test requirement for H-2A temporary agricultural workers who hold an international driving permit, failed after state police raised concerns about verifying foreign licenses and committee members cited public-safety and insurance questions.
House Bill 16-23, sponsored by Representative Jeremiah Moore, proposed exempting H-2A temporary agricultural workers from the driving skills portion of the Arkansas driving test if they present an international driving permit issued by the American Automobile Association.
Representative Jeremiah Moore, sponsor and House member for District 61, said the bill "relieves some undue burden from the government" and argued it would help ensure H-2A workers are covered by employers’ insurance because some farmers require an Arkansas driver’s license for coverage. Moore told the committee the bill would still require the written test so drivers would know local signage and that the exemption would not apply to commercial driver’s licenses.
Ali Shasta Smith from the Department of Finance and Administration told the committee the bill “doesn’t really change our current process” and that the legislation would only remove the skills test from DFA’s verification requirements; DFA would still require the documents the bill specifies. Captain Bridal of the Arkansas State Police testified that officers “have never been able to verify” foreign or international permits from the side of the road and said the state cannot reliably run those credentials in ACIC or NCIC. He noted there is a risk because some foreign documents are fraudulent.
Committee members raised public-safety and insurance questions. Representative Childers described standard insurance practice that coverage generally follows the vehicle and said insurers typically want driver lists, while others pressed for clarity on whether the state can verify driving histories from foreign countries. Representative Moore said H-2A workers already can legally drive in Arkansas for six months on foreign licenses but argued an Arkansas license would allow the state to keep a record.
After further discussion the committee called for a vote; the transcript records debate and questions but no roll-call tally. The committee chair announced the bill failed on voice vote.
Because the bill would have removed only the skills test (leaving the written exam) and required documentation such as an international driving permit, DFA said it would not change DFA’s current verification steps; state police raised concerns about verification and public safety that were central to the committee’s decision.
