WASHINGTON — The Small Business in Transportation Coalition (SBTC) is applauding Rep. Dave Taylor for offering an amendment during Wednesday’s House Transportation and Infrastructure Markup Session on Dalilah’s Law to label the ELP portion of the bill as “Connor’s Law” in furtherance of SBTC’s proposal to mandate non ELP compliant truckers be placed out of service for violation of the long-standing 49 CFR 391.11 Federal Regulation picked up and introduced by Taylor last year (H.R. 3608).
“We thank Congressman Taylor for spearheading our proposal and applaud Chairman Sam Graves and the T&I Committee for approving Mr. Taylor’s amendment to recognize the late Connor Dzion in conjunction with Dalilah Coleman and sending the bill to the House Floor,” said James Lamb, SBTC executive director. “In the interest of highway safety for all motorists, including the nearly 4 million operators of commercial motor vehicles who share the roads with families in minivans and SUVs, commuters in sedans, and school buses filled with children, America needs a Federal law that makes the states test for English proficiency, removes non-English-speaking truckers from the road when discovered, and ensures illegal immigrant truck drivers are prevented from ever getting behind the wheel of a truck again. There must never again be a child who suffers a life-altering injury at the hands of an illegal immigrant trucker or a teen killed by a reckless trucker who can’t read a basic sign that says “slow down, accident ahead.”
Dalilah’s Law
Dalilah’s Law passed the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee on Wednesday.
The bill, introduced Rep. David Rouzer, is supported by the Owner-Operators Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA), the American Trucking Associations, Truckload Carriers Association, National Tank Truck Carriers and state trucking associations across the country.
Background
In June 2024, five-year-old Dalilah Coleman suffered catastrophic, life-altering injuries when an illegal immigrant driving an eighteen-wheeler caused a six-car pileup. She endured a traumatic brain injury, skull fractures, a broken femur and weeks in a coma. While Coleman survived her injuries, she lives with permanent neurological damage and requires lifelong care.
According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), an Indian national, Partap Singh crossed into the United States illegally through the Mexico border in 2022, was arrested after allegedly causing the crash.
Dalilah and her father were recognized during President Trump’s State of the Union address, during which he called for a federal ban on states issuing CDLs to individuals who lack legal status, with strict English Language Proficiency (ELP) requirements so drivers can read road signs and communicate with law enforcement.
The bill, H.R. 5688, is named in her honor.
Connor’s Law
Connor’s Law has been long championed by the SBTC and Lamb noted that the industry is watching.
“SBTC and our 21,000 dues-paying members look forward to this important public safety legislation passing the House and Senate and being signed into law by the President,” Lamb said. “Millions of truckers vote. We will therefore be reporting on how members of Congress voted on this bill through our TruckerVote.com candidate grading system in advance of the midterms.”
Dana Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has been featured in multiple newspapers, books and magazines across the globe. She is currently based in the Atlanta, Georgia, area.
