MITCHELL, SD (Mitchell Now) — A bill moving through the South Dakota Legislature would require English language proficiency for commercial driver license holders and would add penalties for drivers found to be noncompliant during traffic stops or crashes.
Senate Bill 164, sponsored by Sen. Taffy Howard of Rapid City, would align state law with federal rules requiring commercial drivers to be able to communicate in English, including responding to official inquiries, according to the bill text and legislative tracking.
Under the proposal, if a CDL holder is issued a citation for a traffic offense or is involved in a crash, a law enforcement officer would determine whether the driver has sufficient English proficiency. If the officer determines the driver cannot respond proficiently in English, the driver could be cited for violating the federal standard and placed out of service.
The bill sets penalties as a Class 2 misdemeanor for a first offense and a Class 1 misdemeanor for a second or subsequent offense.
Dakota News Now reported Howard described the bill as her second attempt after a similar measure last year, and said lawmakers this time could hear input from the Department of Public Safety. The outlet also reported the bill advanced out of the House Transportation Committee and was placed on the House consent calendar.
If the House passes the bill, it would continue through the final steps of the legislative process before reaching Gov. Larry Rhoden.