91st General Assembly · Funnel one-pager · Monday, November 9, 2026
HF 2477: Relating to English language proficiency requirements for commercial drivers and commercial carriers, providing penalties, and making penalties applicable
Died when the session ended · The General Assembly adjourned on October 2, 2026. Bills that didn’t pass both chambers died.
What it does
Under federal law, a person who is operating a commercial motor vehicle (commercial driver) must be able to read and speak the English language sufficiently to converse with the general public, to understand highway traffic signs and signals in the English language, to respond to official inquiries, and to make entries on reports and records. This bill relates to the enforcement of this federal regulation. The bill requires commercial drivers to have sufficient English language proficiency, makes commercial carriers liable for violations involving commercial drivers that do not have sufficient English language proficiency, and authorizes state patrol officers to inspect a commercial driver to determine whether the driver complies with federal English language proficiency requirements.
Sponsors
Rep. Charley Thomson (R)
Cost
No fiscal note
Lobbying · 2 for, 1 against
For: Iowa Minuteman Civil Defense Corps; VALOR Iowa
Against: Iowa Migrant Movement for Justice
In plain words
- February 16, 2026Filed in the House and sent to the Transportation committee
From public records at legis.iowa.gov, compiled by Funnel (iowafunnel.com), an independent, nonpartisan site. Current as of Monday, November 9, 2026. https://iowafunnel.com/bills/91/HF2477