The Dalilah Law

Summary

Adds citizenship and immigration-status requirements to who may obtain, renew, or keep a commercial driver’s license (CDL) and creates a new lifetime disqualification for operating a commercial motor vehicle while not a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, or certain qualifying nonimmigrant with a valid visa, with only very narrow exceptions. It changes statutory definitions and eligibility rules, directs federal disqualification authority, and updates related cross-references in federal motor-carrier law.

• Requires U.S. citizenship, lawful permanent residency, or certain valid nonimmigrant visas to obtain, renew, or hold a covered commercial driver’s license.
• Adds or revises statutory definitions used to apply the new status requirements to CDLs and related actions.
• Creates a new lifetime federal disqualification for operating a commercial motor vehicle while not meeting the required immigration/citizenship status.
• Preserves only narrow exceptions for certain nonimmigrant categories and holders of specific travel authorization/admission records.
• Shifts practical verification and compliance responsibilities onto licensing authorities, carriers, and federal enforcement without specifying implementation funding.
• Amends internal cross-references in existing commercial motor vehicle statutes to integrate the new rules.
• Applies to issuance, renewal, examinations, and non-domiciled CDLs under relevant federal regulations.
• Could reduce the eligible driver pool and impose administrative burdens on states and employers.
• May prompt legal challenges over due process, state-federal roles, and the scope of lifetime disqualification.