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Committee advances bill allowing state officers to enforce English-proficiency test for commercial drivers
Summary
A Joint & Standing committee voted to move House Bill 32, which adopts the federal English-proficiency roadside test into state law and allows any Wyoming peace officer to administer it; proponents cited safety and enforcement data, while critics warned of bias and economic harm.
House Bill 32, a measure to allow Wyoming peace officers to enforce a federal English-proficiency test for commercial motor vehicle drivers, was moved out of committee after supporters cited safety data and law-enforcement readiness and opponents raised concerns about bias and economic effect.
Lieutenant Colonel Karl Germain of the Wyoming Highway Patrol told the committee the bill adopts the English-language proficiency test referenced in federal regulation 49 CFR 391.11 and grants any peace officer in Wyoming the authority to administer that test at the state level. "The intent of the bill is to make sure that people who can't read road signs, don't pose a threat to our motoring public," Germain said, describing the measure as a state-level tool for removing unsafe drivers from the road.
Lieutenant Kyle McKay, also with the highway patrol, provided enforcement figures to underline the problem the patrol says the bill addresses.…
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