HARRISBURG – Legislation will be proposed by Luzerne County Rep. Brenda Pugh requiring all applicants for a commercial driver’s license in PA to demonstrate English proficiency and have lawful immigration status. Her proposal would establish in state law an English proficiency standard that requires CDL holders to be able to communicate with the public, understand English traffic signs and signals, answer official questions and complete reports and records. Third-party CDL testing companies and PennDOT would be required under state law to verify that each CDL applicant meets the English language proficiency standard. PennDOT would also be required to conduct all future CDL tests, both the knowledge test and skills test, only in English, without electronic interpretation devices or translation materials. New penalties would be established for CDL holders who operate a commercial vehicle and are identified as not meeting the English proficiency standard. A first offense would be a summary offense, $500 fine, and one-year disqualification on their CDL. Second and subsequent offenses would also be summary offenses but would include a $1,000 fine and a two-year disqualification on their CDL.
REP. BRENDA PUGH