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H.R. 5656119th CongressIn committeeLatest action Dec 1, 2025Decoded by AI · checked against the record
Official title: To amend title 49, United States Code, to grant the United States Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico eligibility to issue commercial driver's licenses, and for other purposes.
Introduced:
Read the official bill on Congress.govThe plain-language version leads. The official text is always the reference.
HR 5656 would let Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands issue federally recognized commercial driver's licenses.
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This bill would change federal law to officially recognize the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico as places that can issue commercial driver's licenses (CDLs) under the national system. It directs the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to help the territories meet federal safety and licensing standards, and sets a five-year grace period protecting federal highway funding while they come into compliance. It also clarifies how funding penalties would apply to the Virgin Islands after that period.
Residents of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, particularly truck drivers, bus operators, and others needing commercial licenses for transportation, construction, or delivery work.
Without this change, the territories remain excluded from the legal definition of "state" for CDL purposes, limiting their ability to issue federally recognized commercial licenses through the national system.
AI-drafted summary. Verify it against the official text before you act on it. Read the official bill on Congress.gov
Right now: a House committee is reviewing it. If the Senate changes it, it goes back to the House before reaching the President.
Latest action: — Referred to the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit.