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“ACTIVE DUTY VOLUNTARY ACQUISITION OF NECESSARY CREDENTIALS FOR EMPLOYMENT ACT” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Transportation was published in the House of Representatives section on pages H5146-H5147 on June 26, 2017.
The Department handles nearly all infrastructure crisscrossing the country. Downsizing the Federal Government, a project aimed at lowering taxes and boosting federal efficiency, said the Department should be privatized to save money, reduce congestion and spur innovation.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
ACTIVE DUTY VOLUNTARY ACQUISITION OF NECESSARY CREDENTIALS FOR
EMPLOYMENT ACT
Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2258) to require that certain standards for commercial driver's licenses applicable to former members of the armed services or reserves also apply to current members of the armed services or reserves, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 2258
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Active Duty Voluntary Acquisition of Necessary Credentials for Employment Act'' or the ``ADVANCE Act''.
SEC. 2. COMMERCIAL DRIVER'S LICENSE STANDARDS FOR SERVICE
MEMBERS AND VETERANS.
Section 31305(d) of title 49, United States Code, is amended--
(1) in the subsection heading, by striking ``Veteran Operators'' and inserting ``Service Members, Reservists, and Veterans'';
(2) in paragraph (1)(B), by striking ``subparagraph (A) during'' and inserting ``subparagraph (A)--
``(i) while serving in the armed forces or reserve components; and
``(ii) during''; and
(3) in paragraph (2)(B), by inserting ``current or'' before
``former'' each place the term appears.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Graves) and the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia
(Ms. Norton) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Missouri.
General Leave
Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 2258.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Missouri?
There was no objection.
Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, the Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act, or FAST Act, authorized the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to exempt veterans from certain requirements in order to obtain a commercial driver's license if they had qualified experience while serving in the armed services or Reserve components.
H.R. 2258 would extend this exemption to individuals who are currently serving in either the armed services or Reserve components.
This is a bipartisan bill that will help current members of the armed services or Reserve components find employment in the private sector.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2258, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2258, as amended, which will allow current servicemembers who have military experience operating commercial motor vehicles to more easily obtain a commercial driver's license.
In 2015, Congress included a provision in the FAST Act to allow States to waive the written CDL knowledge test for drivers with military commercial motor vehicle driving experience, but it restricts the waiver to former members of the military. There are a significant number of current reservists and members of the National Guard with military commercial motor vehicle experience who could benefit from the waiver. This legislation allows them to more easily use the skills they learned serving our country to earn a decent wage and feed their families.
These servicemen and servicewomen receive from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, or FMCSA, what they describe as thorough and comprehensive training, including many hours of behind-the-wheel training--something that we have long advocated for as a requirement for civilian drivers. There is a shortage of commercial truck drivers, and these well-trained military drivers are exactly the type of individuals that we would want to help enter the trucking profession.
Using its existing exemption authority, FMCSA has already taken action to make current servicemembers eligible for the knowledge test waiver on a temporary basis. Last October, FMCSA issued an exemption that allows States to waive the CDL knowledge test for trained military truck drivers, whether they are current members of the military or veterans.
FMCSA cited the fact that training these drivers receive in the military includes ``many hours of classroom training, practical skills training, and on-the-road training that are essential for safe driving.'' However, FMCSA's temporary exemption expires in October 2018. This bill would make permanent the ability for current members of the military to utilize the FAST Act waiver.
Madam Speaker, I strongly support this legislation, and I urge its adoption.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from California (Mr. Aguilar), my good friend.
Mr. AGUILAR. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.
Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the Active Duty Voluntary Acquisition of Necessary Credentials for Employment Act, or the ADVANCE Act.
The ADVANCE Act will allow Active Duty servicemembers, reservists, and National Guardsmen the same unique testing standards for commercial driver's licenses granted to veterans by the latest surface transportation bill, the Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act, the FAST Act.
The FAST Act allows veterans with qualifying experience to be exempt from State knowledge-based tests when obtaining commercial driver's licenses. The ADVANCE Act would extend this exemption to Active Duty servicemembers, reservists, and National Guardsmen.
I introduced the ADVANCE Act to ensure that Active Duty servicemembers and reservists have access to the same benefits as veterans, helping to smooth their transition from military to civilian life. We owe it to our brave men and women to help them find work here at home.
This bipartisan bill is a commonsense measure that will create opportunities for servicemembers to find work in their communities by simplifying how they translate the driving skills they learned in the military to American jobs across this country. According to the Department of Transportation, the ADVANCE Act can help nearly 75,000 Active Duty, Reserves, and National Guardsmen throughout the United States.
This legislation comes at a critical time. According to the American Trucking Associations, there is an estimated 40,000 truck driver shortage nationally. The American Trucking Associations has endorsed the ADVANCE Act because it will help put servicemembers back to work here at home and it will allow us to close a troubling skills gap in our local communities.
The ADVANCE Act has also been endorsed by the Association of the United States Navy and The Retired Enlisted Association. It was unanimously passed out of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and has strong bipartisan support.
Additionally, Senators Cornyn and Warren have introduced a bipartisan companion bill in the Senate.
I urge my colleagues to join me today and support this bill so we can make this commonsense change to ensure that all current and former members of the military with specialized training can more easily access the licenses they need to get good-paying jobs as they transition to civilian life.
Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Madam Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I want to thank Mr. Aguilar, who is the author of this bill, for his work in filling this hole so that members of the National Guard and reservists, indeed, are more easily able to obtain a commercial driver's license based on exactly the kind of training that the armed services gives.
It is certainly true that we have had trouble in committee getting on-the-job training as a requirement.
{time} 1730
Here, we have people who get on-the-job training, and on-the-job training of just the kind that our country needs, because of the shortage Mr. Aguilar spoke of in commercial drivers, a very difficult job that necessitates long hours, often away from one's own home and family.
Madam Speaker, I regard this bill as a twin of the very first bill that we passed, the VA bill that allows the Veterans Administration to offer physical examinations, when we were alerted that there were only 25 physicians there who could do that.
So this is a good pairing of bills that our country needs because of the shortage of commercial drivers, and that we owe our veterans and those who serve, even now, in our services. I am particularly pleased that this is a jobs bill. It seems to me that it is clear that when we enable more and more people to drive commercial trucks, we are increasing the supply of jobs available in our country.
These are high-paying jobs for good reason, because they are difficult jobs, so I think this bill and our first bill are bills that the bipartisan House today can take special pride in.
Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Madam Speaker, with that, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this important piece of legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from California (Mr. Graves of Missouri) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 2258, as amended.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further proceedings on this motion will be postponed.
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