Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Brian Mast (FL-21) applauds the advancement of Dalilah’s Law through the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. This bill is a great step in strengthening commercial driver’s license (CDL) standards and improving roadway safety nationwide.

“For communities like mine, this is personal,” said Rep. Brian Mast. “In my district, minutes from my own home, an illegal alien operating a commercial tractor-trailer made an illegal U-turn on our turnpike. He killed three people. Three American lives were lost because someone was  behind the wheel who shouldn’t have been. It’s time to pass Dalilah’s law, so this will never happen again,” he added.

On August 12, 2025, an illegal alien cut across Florida’s Turnpike through an “Official Use Only” access point and killed three American citizens. In 2018, California issued the operator a CDL license, despite having been rejected by the Trump Administration for a work authorization permit. The CDL license-holder had received a two out of twelve on an English Language Proficiency (ELP) exam prior to being issued the license.

Delilah’s Law establishes consistent federal standards for license issuance and enforcement.  It requires individuals operating commercial vehicles to be properly trained, legally authorized, and capable of understanding the rules of the road. The bill codifies ELP exams and requires states to administer the test in English for both the written and skills portion. 

The bill’s focus also extends beyond licensing to eliminate fraud and abuse in the system; it specifically targets “CDL mills” and practices that do not adequately account for driver competency. Dalilah’s Law tightens regulatory pressure for compliance by doubling the first penalty for state non-compliance from four to eight percent withholding of federal funds toward highway maintenance. Each year a state is non-compliant, a twelve percent penalty is added. 

The bill will now move to the floor of the House of Representatives for a vote before it can be considered by the Senate.