VERIFY CDL Act
Summary
What This Bill Does
The VERIFY CDL Act amends title 49 commercial driver's license requirements. A State may issue or renew a commercial driver's license only if the individual applying for issuance or renewal has had employment authorization in the United States verified through the E-Verify Program at the time of application. The bill does not create a new federal licensing agency; it conditions State CDL issuance and renewal on an E-Verify work-authorization check.
Who Benefits and How
State motor vehicle agencies, trucking companies seeking work-authorized drivers, employers subject to federal work-authorization compliance, and authorized CDL applicants benefit from a clear verification rule for commercial driver licensing. Public safety and immigration-enforcement advocates may benefit if the rule prevents people without verified work authorization from obtaining or renewing CDLs.
Who Bears the Burden and How
CDL applicants without verified work authorization, drivers with E-Verify record mismatches, State DMV offices, trucking employers, and commercial driver training schools face new compliance and documentation burdens. State agencies must integrate E-Verify checks into issuance and renewal workflows. Authorized applicants may face delays if E-Verify records are incomplete or incorrect.
Key Provisions
- Requires E-Verify work-authorization verification before a State issues a commercial driver's license.
- Requires E-Verify work-authorization verification before a State renews a commercial driver's license.
- Applies the verification at the time of the CDL application.
- Conditions State CDL action on the federal E-Verify Program definition.
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
Requires States to verify an applicant's authorization to work in the United States through E-Verify at the time of application before issuing or renewing any commercial driver's license.
Key Policy Areas
Transportation, Immigration, Labor
Primary Purpose
Requires States to verify an applicant's authorization to work in the United States through E-Verify at the time of application before issuing or renewing any commercial driver's license.
Policy Domains
Substantive provisions
Identified Gains
- State motor vehicle agencies
- Trucking companies
- Authorized CDL applicants
- Public safety advocates
- Immigration-enforcement advocates
Identified Costs
- CDL applicants without verified work authorization
- Drivers with E-Verify mismatches
- State DMV offices
- Trucking employers
- Commercial driver training schools
Sponsors
Andy Biggs
R-AZ | Primary Sponsor
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeReferred to the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit.
Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
Introduced in House
Mr. Biggs of Arizona introduced the following bill; which was …
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
CDL applicants without verified work authorization
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
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