Congress approves CDL training boost for veterans

WASHINGTON — Congress has passed legislation to expand CDL training for military veterans.

The Veteran Improvement Commercial Driver License Act of 2023, which the Senate approved last year, passed in the House by voice vote on Wednesday. It heads to the White House, where the president is expected to sign it.

“Our veterans deserve every opportunity to participate in the American dream they’ve fought to protect,” said Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., who introduced the bill. “But when their service is over, many veterans face unfair roadblocks when they look for jobs. My legislation makes it easier for veterans to get their CDL licenses and earn a good living.”

Backed by the American Trucking Associations and the Commercial Vehicle Training Association, the legislation removes a two-year waiting period currently required for certain CDL schools that veterans may want to attend and pay for using their GI Bill benefits.

Under current law, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is barred from approving CDL courses offered at secondary branches of an educational institution if the branch has been operating for less than two years.

Fischer’s bill removes that barrier by allowing the VA to approve a CDL program for veterans at a new branch as long as it is appropriately licensed by the state and uses the same curriculum as the program at the primary institution that has previously been approved.

House lawmakers had been working to tighten language in the legislation to install protections that the waiting period was meant to provide so that veterans would avoid enrolling in low-standard, fly-by-night truck driving schools.

“I do wish to point out that our committee has been working on this bill for months, and we reached a bipartisan agreement on improved language that would empower state agencies to conduct proper oversight and limit automatic approval of these programs if they’re opening in states without existing CDL programs,” Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif., said on the House floor during debate on the bill on Wednesday.

“However, for some unknown reason, this text is the same that passed in the Senate, ignoring the hard work our staff put in to reach a final agreement. It’s critically important that we include important oversight provisions in bills such as these to ensure veterans get the best possible training and that schools that access veterans’ hard-earned GI Bill benefits are held accountable for the quality of their programs.”

Takano received assurances of support from Rep. Mike Bost, R-Ill., to enhance protections with provisions in new legislation in the next Congress.