Sen. Tim Scott and Sen. John Barrasso introduced the No Licenses for Illegal Drivers or Truckers Act, which would require applicants for commercial driver’s licenses to verify lawful presence and tighten standards for issuing licenses.
Require applicants for commercial driver's licenses to verify lawful presence and tighten standards for issuing licenses.
Occurrences
Evidence
Last Action Date Listed: April 16, 2026. Action: Mr. Barrasso (for himself, Mr. Cornyn, Ms. Lummis, and Mr. Scott of South Carolina) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works. The bill would amend title 23 to withhold federal highway funding from states that issue driver’s licenses, commercial driver’s licenses, or personal identification cards without verifying legal status.
The Senate record shows the bill text was printed and that the proposal would require states to verify that every applicant for a driver’s license, including a commercial driver’s license, is in the country legally, and would withhold federal transportation funding from noncompliant states.
Assessments
Scott cosponsored or joined introduction of S. 4317 in April 2026, which directly matched the promise by requiring lawful-presence verification for driver’s license and commercial driver’s license applicants and tightening state issuance standards through federal highway funding penalties. However, the evidence shows the bill was only introduced, read twice, and referred to committee; there is no evidence it was enacted or otherwise implemented as federal policy. That is a serious legislative attempt but not delivery of the promised outcome.