WASHINGTON, D.C. — The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee will mark up “Dalilah’s Law” on Wednesday, March 18, 2026. The sweeping legislation targets several longstanding safety gaps in the commercial driver’s license system — from English proficiency failures to freight fraud enabled by shady foreign brokers.
Who Is Dalilah Coleman?
The bill takes its name from Dalilah Coleman, a 5-year-old girl severely injured when truck driver Partap Singh caused a pileup crash. California had issued Singh a CDL. ICE later arrested him after determining he was in the country illegally. Dalilah attended President Trump’s State of the Union address, where Trump called on Congress to pass legislation blocking unqualified and illegal immigrants from obtaining CDLs.
Rep. David Rouzer (R-NC), Highways and Transit Subcommittee Chairman, introduced H.R. 5688. The bill was originally filed on October 3, 2025, as the Non-Domiciled CDL Integrity Act. It now incorporates a provision from Rep. Dave Taylor’s (R-OH) Connor’s Law, which requires English Language Proficiency for all CDL holders.
What Would Dalilah’s Law Do?
The updated bill would:
• Ensure all CDL holders understand English, road signs, and law enforcement officers • Place out of service any driver who fails to meet safety standards • Require states to verify they are not issuing CDLs to illegal immigrants • Significantly increase penalties for non-compliant states by withholding federal funds • Ban foreign dispatch services and brokers fueling freight fraud and cargo theft • Crack down on CDL mills to guarantee new drivers receive adequate training
What Lawmakers Are Saying
“Commercial driver’s license standards are in place for a reason: to ensure that only those qualified to drive a truck are allowed to do so,” said Chairman Rouzer. “Dalilah’s story is the heartbreaking consequence of what happens when those standards are both insufficient and breached. Unqualified, illegal foreign drivers behind the wheel of an 80-ton rig put the public in danger. President Trump called on Congress to end this systematic abuse, and Dalilah’s Law answers the call.”
When and Where Is the Markup?
The Transportation and Infrastructure Committee will mark up Dalilah’s Law at 10:00 a.m. ET on Wednesday, March 18, 2026, in 2167 Rayburn House Office Building. A live webcast will be available to the public.
H.R. 5688 builds on recent USDOT and FMCSA actions to enforce English Language Proficiency rules and tighten non-domiciled CDL standards. Rouzer described the current situation as a safety crisis driven by the open border policies of the Biden administration.
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Major Trucking Groups Including American Trucking Associations Support ‘Dalilah’s Law’ Ahead of House Markup - American Truck Drivers News - Atruckdrivers.com
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