BILL ANALYSIS Ó
------------------------------------------------------------
|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 2659|
|Office of Senate Floor Analyses | |
|1020 N Street, Suite 524 | |
|(916) 651-1520 Fax: (916) | |
|327-4478 | |
------------------------------------------------------------
THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 2659
Author: Blumenfield (D)
Amended: 6/6/12 in Senate
Vote: 21
SENATE TRANSPORTATION & HOUSING COMMITTEE : 8-0, 7/3/12
AYES: DeSaulnier, Gaines, Kehoe, Lowenthal, Pavley, Rubio,
Simitian, Wyland
NO VOTE RECORDED: Harman
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : Senate Rule 28.8
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : Not relevant
SUBJECT : Vehicles: commercial drivers license:
military personnel
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This bill permits the Department of Motor
Vehicles (DMV) to waive the driving skills test required to
obtain a commercial drivers license (CDL) for a person with
a US Armed Forces military driver's license in compliance
with federal regulations.
ANALYSIS : Existing law requires a person to have a valid
CDL of the appropriate class in order to operate a
commercial vehicle in the state. DMV issues a CDL to an
applicant only after he/she passes written and driving
skills tests and meets other requirements depending on the
CONTINUED
AB 2659
Page
2
particular type of vehicle the applicant seeks to operate.
Federal regulations outline specific skills and knowledge a
person must demonstrate before he or she is eligible for a
CDL. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the
federal agency responsible for commercial vehicle
oversight, recently amended its regulations to allow states
to waive this skills test for an applicant possessing a
military commercial vehicle license and who certifies that:
1. Within the two-year period immediately prior to
applying, he/she has not had:
A license suspended or revoked;
Any conviction for major offenses (e.g., DUI or
leaving the scene of an accident);
More than one conviction for serious traffic
violations (e.g., excessive speeding or reckless
driving);
Any conviction arising in connection with a traffic
accident, nor any record of an accident in which
he/she was at fault.
2. He/she is, or within the prior 90 days was, regularly
employed in a military position requiring operation of a
commercial vehicle for at least the prior two years.
This bill permits DMV to waive the driving skills test
required to obtain a commercial driver's license for a
person with a US Armed Forces military driver's license in
compliance with federal regulations.
Comments
According to the author's office, recent veterans represent
a disproportionate number of the country's unemployed
population. Further, research suggests that many of these
recent veterans were military transport operators, and
therefore share skills similar to commercial drivers. At
the same time, the author contends, the transport industry
reports a shortage of truck drivers. This bill attempts to
CONTINUED
AB 2659
Page
3
address these two problems by permitting DMV to adopt the
federal waiver standards for the CDL skills test.
According to the author's office, 15 other states have
adopted the federal standards, including New York, Florida,
Missouri, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. With a high veteran
unemployment rate and a labor shortage in the trucking
industry, the author's office believes this bill benefits
the state by allowing qualified veterans to obtain a
commercial driver's license in a timely and safe manner.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: No
SUPPORT : (Verified 8/6/12)
California Chamber of Commerce
California Distributors Association
California Grocers Association
California Independent Grocers Association
California Manufacturers & Technology Association
California Retailers Association
California State Commanders Veterans Council
California Trucking Association
National Federation of Independent Business
Operation Gratitude
United Chambers of the San Fernando Valley
Veterans of Foreign Wars
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 68-6, 5/10/12
AYES: Achadjian, Alejo, Allen, Ammiano, Atkins, Beall,
Bill Berryhill, Block, Blumenfield, Bonilla, Bradford,
Brownley, Buchanan, Butler, Charles Calderon, Campos,
Carter, Cedillo, Chesbro, Conway, Davis, Dickinson, Eng,
Feuer, Fong, Fuentes, Galgiani, Garrick, Gatto, Gordon,
Gorell, Hagman, Halderman, Hall, Harkey, Hayashi, Roger
Hernández, Hill, Huber, Hueso, Huffman, Jones, Lara,
Bonnie Lowenthal, Ma, Mendoza, Miller, Mitchell, Monning,
Morrell, Nestande, Nielsen, Norby, Pan, Perea,
Portantino, Silva, Skinner, Smyth, Solorio, Swanson,
Torres, Valadao, Wagner, Wieckowski, Williams, Yamada,
John A. Pérez
NOES: Donnelly, Beth Gaines, Grove, Knight, Logue, Mansoor
CONTINUED
AB 2659
Page
4
NO VOTE RECORDED: Cook, Fletcher, Furutani, Jeffries,
Olsen, V. Manuel Pérez
JJA:d 8/8/12 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
**** END ****
CONTINUED