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House floor debate spotlights bill to let 18-year-olds obtain interstate CDLs with training safeguards
Summary
Lawmakers on the House floor debated House Bill 1696, which would lower the minimum age for interstate commercial driving to 18 while requiring registered apprenticeships, employer-based programs, supervised driving hours and safety protocols. Supporters framed the bill as a workforce and economic resilience measure.
Representative Keelah pressed the case for House Bill 1696 on the House floor, arguing the measure creates a career pathway for young people while maintaining safety standards.
"This measure before the chamber allows a clear pathway to help uplift our young folks," Representative Keelah said, urging colleagues to support the bill. She told members that, after the Lahaina wildfire, "it was estimated that we have over 200 retirement eligible CDL drivers that could leave the state at any point in the day," a workforce concern she said the bill addresses.
Representative Mora Oka, who asked that the…
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