To amend title 49, United States Code, to grant the United States Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico eligibility to issue commercial driver's licenses, and for other purposes.
Summary
What This Bill Does
This bill amends title 49 so the United States Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico are included in commercial motor vehicle safety and commercial driver's license provisions. It treats amounts apportioned to the Virgin Islands as required apportionments for penalty purposes. It directs the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Administrator to work with the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico on obtaining full compliance with chapter 313 commercial driver's license requirements and regulations.
For five years after enactment, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico cannot have specified Federal-aid highway funds withheld for failure to comply with title 49 section 31311(a) requirements. The bill gives both territories time to implement compliance while preserving FMCSA involvement.
Who Benefits and How
Puerto Rico driver licensing agencies and Virgin Islands driver licensing agencies benefit from eligibility to issue commercial driver's licenses and a five-year protection from specified funding withholding while they work toward compliance. Commercial drivers in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands benefit from a local CDL pathway. FMCSA benefits from clear authority to help both territories reach full compliance.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands transportation agencies must work toward full compliance with federal commercial driver's license requirements. FMCSA commercial driver license staff must provide technical assistance and monitor progress. Federal highway program administrators must account for the five-year withholding exemption.
Key Provisions
- Adds the United States Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico to title 49 commercial motor vehicle safety provisions.
- Treats Virgin Islands apportionments as required for penalty purposes.
- Directs FMCSA to work with the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico on full compliance with chapter 313 CDL requirements.
- Prohibits specified Federal-aid highway fund withholding against the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico for five years.
- Applies the temporary protection to failures to comply with title 49 section 31311(a).
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Adds the United States Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico to title 49 commercial motor vehicle safety and commercial driver's license provisions, directs FMCSA to work with both territories on full compliance, and shields them from specified highway funding withholding penalties for five years.
Key Policy Areas
Transportation, Commercial Driver Licensing, Territories, Motor Carrier Safety
Primary Purpose
Adds the United States Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico to title 49 commercial motor vehicle safety and commercial driver's license provisions, directs FMCSA to work with both territories on full compliance, and shields them from specified highway funding withholding penalties for five years.
Policy Domains
Section 1 Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands commercial driver's license eligibility and compliance transition
Identified Gains
- Puerto Rico driver licensing agencies
- Virgin Islands driver licensing agencies
- Commercial drivers in Puerto Rico
- Commercial drivers in the Virgin Islands
Identified Costs
- FMCSA commercial driver license staff
- Puerto Rico transportation compliance offices
- Virgin Islands transportation compliance offices
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeReferred to the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit.
Ms. Plaskett (for herself, Mr. Hernández, and Mr. Edwards) introduced …
Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
Introduced in House
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
FMCSA commercial driver license staff, Puerto Rico driver licensing agencies, Virgin Islands driver licensing agencies
Positive-direction: Puerto Rico driver licensing agencies, Virgin Islands driver licensing agencies
Negative-direction: FMCSA commercial driver license staff
Commercial drivers in Puerto Rico, Commercial drivers in the Virgin Islands
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "fmcsa"
- → Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
- "puerto_rico"
- → Puerto Rico commercial driver licensing agency
- "virgin_islands"
- → United States Virgin Islands commercial driver licensing agency
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
A five-year period after enactment when Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands are not subject to specified Federal-aid highway fund withholding for section 31311(a) noncompliance.
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology