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Assembly panel urges federal reinstatement of commercial driver credentials after federal action
Summary
The Assembly Transportation Committee adopted SJR 16, urging Congress to restore commercial driving credentials for thousands of drivers affected by a federal determination and related California DMV actions; union testimony said drivers lost livelihoods and federal highway funds were at risk.
The Assembly Transportation Committee voted to adopt SJR 16, a resolution urging the U.S. Congress to act to reinstate commercial driving credentials for drivers affected by recent federal and state licensing actions. Amy, who presented the resolution on behalf of Sen. Caballero, told the committee federal regulators had found California noncompliant and that the state faced the potential loss of roughly $160,000,000 in federal highway funding. The motion to adopt the resolution was moved in committee and carried in a roll call vote.
Why it matters: presenters said the FMCSA’s preliminary and conditional determinations and subsequent state actions resulted in the cancellation or suspension of thousands of commercial credentials, disrupting supply chains and livelihoods. The committee heard union testimony that the impacted drivers include long-serving commercial drivers and small-business operators.
"The federal administration has the authority to fully certify a state's driver's license program when we find substantial noncompliance," the presenter said during her remarks, outlining the federal-state dispute and recent litigation. Shane Guzman of Teamsters California, testifying in support, said, "We their livelihoods were robbed from them, simply because of an anti immigrant animus." Guzman also argued the FMCSA's own documents contained no empirical evidence that the affected drivers posed a greater safety risk.
The committee held a formal roll call on the motion to adopt SJR 16. The final tally announced by the chair was 10 ayes and 1 no; the resolution was approved. The transcript records that the motion was moved on the floor and seconded prior to roll call. The resolution asks federal lawmakers to consider measures to restore credentials for those who meet California standards.
Context and next steps: supporters said the March 7 federal-court-directed cancellations and state DMV actions affected approximately 13,000 non-domiciled commercial driver's licenses and created immediate economic harms for those drivers; the committee urged swift federal consideration. The resolution itself asks Congress to act but does not create state policy or short-circuit pending litigation.
