Rep. John Lewis’ Effort to Eliminate Young-Driver Provision in Highway Bill Fails
The House on Nov. 4 rejected an effort by Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) seeking to remove a provision in a House multiyear highway bill designed to pave the way for drivers under 21 to operate trucks across state lines.
Lewis’ amendment, which failed on a 181 to 248 vote, would have removed the graduated commercial driver license program from the policy bill and replaced it with a proposal requiring the secretary of transportation to conduct a review of the laws allowing drivers between 18 and 21 to operate trucks within a state.
Under the bill, the graduated commercial driver license program would establish a task force designed to start the process of allowing drivers between the ages of 19 years, 6 months and 21 to operate trucks in interstate commerce. A vote on the bill’s final passage is scheduled for Nov. 5.
