Lawmakers have again eased rules regarding troops seeking commercial driver\u2019s licenses, part of an ongoing effort to help veterans use their military skills for post-service jobs<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On Dec. 21, in pre-recess work, House lawmakers easily passed the Jobs for Our Heroes Act, which clarifies eligibility rules for active-duty service members and reservists applying for the licenses under Department of Transportation programs. The measure now heads to the White House to be signed into law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Previously, lawmakers had created a special program for veterans seeking commercial driver\u2019s licenses, which allowed them to skip driving tests and some certification requirements if they had previous applicable experience from their time in the ranks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But those provisions \u2014 outlined in the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act in 2015 \u2014 did not include reservists who have not yet separated from the military or active-duty troops planning ahead for their post-service careers. Transportation officials created a two-year exemption to cover those groups, but the new legislation makes those changes permanent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In addition, the measure also allows more Veterans Affairs medical professionals to perform required federal health examinations for the licensing processes. Because of current rules, only a small number of VA staffers meet the requirements for administering those tests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and one of the sponsors of the legislation, said in a statement after the vote that the new bill fills an important gap for military members and the industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere is a shortage of people who can get a commercial driver\u2019s license and fill these well-paying jobs,\u201d he said. \u201cThis bill would also allow states to permanently waive license requirements for current service members and national guardsmen if they have military experience driving a comparable vehicle.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat way, members of the military don\u2019t have to go through the same old rigmarole twice,\u201d he said, adding, \u201cThey get trained in the military; and then they get out; and then the civilian world ignores the fact that they have trained and been qualified in the military; and this bill fixes that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rep. Rob Woodall, R-Ga., who sponsored the measure in the House, offered similar praise for the move.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis bill has always been about crafting a common sense, bipartisan solution that provides opportunities for our veterans returning to the civilian workforce as quickly as possible while also filling much-needed positions within the trucking industry,\u201d he said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThese kinds of seemingly small, targeted solutions may not always make the front page news, but they make a big difference in the lives of those affected,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
State and federal lawmakers in recent years have pushed a number of initiatives to better match military skills with civilian credentialing requirements in an effort to help veterans transition into private-sector jobs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The new rules would make obtaining medical checks for the licenses easier and remove expiring authorities for troops looking to avoid retesting on driving skills.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":30388,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":9,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[9,143,15,35,86],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3347],"class_list":["post-29327","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education-transition","category-good-news-report","category-news","category-newsletters","category-pentagon-congress"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"22OUHAWDINBLZLRCLSYC6Y3TAA","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2017\/12\/27\/congress-eases-rules-for-active-duty-troops-reservists-seeking-commercial-drivers-licenses\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"\n