Three people left home on August 12, 2025, and never made it back.
On Florida’s Turnpike, minutes from my home, a commercial tractor-trailer driver used an “Official Use Only” access point to make an illegal U-turn. The crash killed three people.
The facts uncovered afterward made the tragedy even harder to accept. The driver had scored just 2 out of 12 on an English-language proficiency exam. He had also been denied work authorization by the federal government, yet California issued him a commercial driver’s license.
That is not a paperwork mistake. It is a public-safety failure.
One Standard for Every State
Commercial drivers carry enormous responsibility. A fully loaded tractor-trailer can weigh up to 80,000 pounds. The person behind the wheel must be properly trained, legally authorized, and able to follow the rules that keep every family on the highway safe.
That should not depend on which state issued the license.
I backed Dalilah’s Law to establish consistent national standards for commercial driver’s licenses. The bill requires states to administer both the written and skills portions of the English-language proficiency exam in English. It also strengthens the consequences for states that refuse to comply, doubling the first highway-funding penalty from 4 percent to 8 percent and adding a 12 percent penalty for each additional year of noncompliance.
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee advanced the bill. That is real progress. Now the full House must finish the job.
Accountability Is Not Optional
Every rule in this bill comes back to one principle: the safety of American families must come first.
The vast majority of professional truck drivers take that responsibility seriously. They train, follow the law, and keep our economy moving. Dalilah’s Law respects those professionals by ensuring that every driver on the road is held to a clear, consistent standard.
It also tells state bureaucracies that licenses cannot become participation trophies. A commercial driver’s license is proof that someone is qualified to operate one of the largest vehicles on the road. Government has a duty to make that proof mean something.
Finish the Mission
I learned in the Army that standards exist because lives depend on them. You do not waive them when they are inconvenient. You do not look the other way when the system fails. You identify the weakness, fix it, and make sure it does not happen again.
That is what Dalilah’s Law does.
The bill cannot bring back the three people killed on Florida’s Turnpike. But our bill can honor them with action, protect families across the country, and close a dangerous gap before another community pays the price.
Safe roads are not optional. Competence is not optional. Accountability is not optional.
Stand with me as I fight to pass Dalilah’s Law and keep Florida families safe. Add your name to the petition or help us carry this mission forward: