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SF 2173IOWASession 2025-2026State BillSigned into law
Enacted

Iowa requires commercial drivers to pass an English language proficiency test and imposes fines and penalties for carriers and drivers who violate the rule

Original title: A bill for an act relating to sufficient English language proficiency requirements for commercial drivers, and providing penalties.(See SF 2426 .)

Last action · May 27, 2026: Fiscal note.Sponsor: Amy Sinclair

Bill progressHistory & official text ↓
Introduced
Committee
Floor Vote
Passed
Law

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What This Bill Does

Commercial driver's license applicants in Iowa must pass a computer-based English proficiency exam to receive or renew their credentials, while motor carriers face fines up to $10,000 for employing non-proficient drivers. Drivers operating commercial vehicles without sufficient English proficiency must stop driving, face a $1,000 civil penalty, and commit a .

Why it matters

Commercial motor carriers, truck drivers, and cargo owners face new operating restrictions, tiered civil penalties up to $10,000, potential criminal charges for drivers, and cargo transfer requirements if a driver is stopped for lacking required English proficiency.

Background
  • Commercial driver licensing standards in the United States are governed by federal regulations, including Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration rules requiring drivers to be sufficiently proficient in English. context
  • State legislatures periodically introduce bills to codify and enforce federal commercial vehicle driver qualification standards through state-level penalties. context

Who It Affects

Groups the bill's text affects, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.

Directly affected

commercial drivers

Commercial drivers must pass a computer-based English language proficiency examination to obtain or renew their licenses and face fines and criminal charges if operating without proficiency.

Directly affected

commercial motor carriers

Motor carriers are prohibited from employing non-proficient drivers and face tiered civil penalties ranging from $3,000 to $10,000 for violations.

Directly affected

cargo owners

Cargo owners may be notified to arrange cargo transfers if a motor carrier fails to pay civil penalties and provide a qualified driver within 12 hours of a stop.

Key Facts

You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens if a commercial driver is found operating a vehicle without sufficient English proficiency?
The driver must immediately exit the vehicle and stop operating it, face a $1,000 civil penalty, and commit a .
How much are the civil penalties for commercial motor carriers that employ non-proficient drivers?
Carriers face $3,000 for a first violation, $5,000 for a second violation, and $10,000 for a third or subsequent violation.
Where do the collected civil penalties go?
All civil penalties imposed and collected by the department are deposited in the .

What else do you want to know?

News Coverage

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Follow the record

Votes, people, money & the original source

Where This Stands

Current status: Signed into law.

Procedural history

59 actions
  1. May 27, 2026Iowa Legislature
    Fiscal note.
  2. May 2, 2026SenateEnrolled
    Signed by Governor . S.J. 1013 .
  3. May 2, 2026Senate
    Reported correctly enrolled, signed by President and Speaker, and sent to Governor. S.J. 1013 .
  4. May 2, 2026House
    Explanation of vote. H.J. 1159 .
  5. Apr 16, 2026House
    Message from House. S.J. 813 .
  6. Apr 15, 2026House
    Immediate message. H.J. 917 .
Show 53 earlier actions
  1. Apr 15, 2026HouseFloor
    Passed House , yeas 73, nays 22. H.J. 909 .
  2. Apr 15, 2026HouseFloor
    House concurred in Senate amendment H-8337 . H.J. 909 .
  3. Apr 8, 2026House
    Senate amendment H-8337 filed. H.J. 868 .
  4. Apr 8, 2026House
    Message from Senate. H.J. 841 .
  5. Apr 8, 2026Senate
    Immediate message. S.J. 760 .
  6. Apr 8, 2026SenateFloor
    Passed Senate , yeas 39, nays 5. S.J. 756 .
  7. Apr 8, 2026SenateFloor
    Senate concurred with S-5148 , as amended. S.J. 756 .
  8. Apr 8, 2026SenateFloor
    Amendment S-5156 adopted. S.J. 756 .
  9. Apr 6, 2026Senate
    Amendment S-5156 to S-5148 filed. S.J. 730 .
  10. Apr 1, 2026Iowa Legislature
    Fiscal note.
  11. Mar 31, 2026House
    Withdrawn. H.J. 783 .
  12. Mar 31, 2026House
    SF 2426 substituted. H.J. 772 .
  13. Mar 31, 2026HouseFloor
    Amendment H-8054 adopted. H.J. 772 .
  14. Mar 31, 2026House
    Message from House, with amendment S-5148 . S.J. 687 .
  15. Mar 31, 2026House
    Immediate message. H.J. 783 .
  16. Mar 31, 2026HouseFloor
    Passed House , yeas 68, nays 24. H.J. 774 .
  17. Mar 31, 2026House
    Amendments H-8061 and H-8065 out of order. H.J. 773 .
  18. Mar 31, 2026HouseFloor
    Amendment H-8265 adopted, as amended. H.J. 773 .
  19. Mar 31, 2026HouseFloor
    Amendment H-8273 to amendment H-8265 , yeas 63, nays 28, filed, adopted. H.J. 772 .
  20. Mar 31, 2026House
    Amendments H-8060 , H-8081 and H-8087 withdrawn. H.J. 772 .
  21. Mar 31, 2026House
    Substituted for HF 2700 . H.J. 772 .
  22. Mar 25, 2026House
    Amendment H-8265 filed. H.J. 753 .
  23. Mar 19, 2026House
    Placed on calendar under unfinished business. H.J. 691 .
  24. Mar 19, 2026House
    Placed on calendar under unfinished business. H.J. 691 .
  25. Mar 2, 2026Iowa Legislature
    Fiscal note.
  26. Mar 2, 2026House
    Amendments H-8065 , H-8081 and H-8087 filed. H.J. 485 .
  27. Mar 2, 2026Iowa Legislature
    Fiscal note.
  28. Feb 28, 2026Iowa Legislature
    Fiscal note.
  29. Feb 26, 2026House
    Amendment H-8054 filed. H.J. 461 .
  30. Feb 26, 2026House
    Amendments H-8060 and H-8061 filed. H.J. 461 .
  31. Feb 26, 2026Iowa Legislature
    Fiscal note.
  32. Feb 26, 2026HouseIntroduced
    Read first time, passed on file. H.J. 438 .
  33. Feb 25, 2026House
    Message from Senate. H.J. 432 .
  34. Feb 25, 2026Senate
    Immediate message. S.J. 403 .
  35. Feb 25, 2026SenateFloor
    Passed Senate , yeas 47, nays 0. S.J. 403 .
  36. Feb 25, 2026SenateFloor
    Amendment S-5029 filed, adopted. S.J. 402 .
  37. Feb 25, 2026Iowa Legislature
    Fiscal note.
  38. Feb 23, 2026HouseIntroduced
    Introduced, placed on calendar. H.J. 381 .
  39. Feb 23, 2026Senate
    Committee report, approving bill. S.J. 373 .
  40. Feb 23, 2026SenateIntroduced
    Introduced, placed on calendar. S.J. 355 .
  41. Feb 23, 2026Iowa Legislature
    Committee report approving bill, renumbered as HF 2700 .
  42. Feb 23, 2026Senate
    Committee report approving bill, renumbered as SF 2426 . S.J. 373 .
  43. Feb 18, 2026House
    Committee vote: Yeas, 14. Nays, 6. Excused, 1. H.J. 363 .
  44. Feb 18, 2026House
    Committee report, recommending amendment and passage. H.J. 363 .
  45. Feb 17, 2026Iowa Legislature
    Subcommittee recommends amendment and passage.
  46. Feb 12, 2026Iowa Legislature
    Subcommittee Meeting: 02/17/2026 8:00AM RM 304.
  47. Feb 11, 2026Iowa Legislature
    Subcommittee recommends amendment and passage.
  48. Feb 10, 2026Iowa Legislature
    Subcommittee Meeting: 02/11/2026 1:30PM Room 217 Conference Room.
  49. Feb 9, 2026House
    Subcommittee: Meyer, A., Meggers and Wilson. H.J. 238 .
  50. Feb 9, 2026HouseIntroduced
    Introduced, referred to Transportation. H.J. 236 .
  51. Feb 9, 2026Iowa Legislature
    Subcommittee Meeting: 02/11/2026 1:00PM Room 217 Conference Room.
  52. Feb 3, 2026Senate
    Subcommittee: Rozenboom, Shipley, and Winckler. S.J. 191 .
  53. Feb 2, 2026SenateIntroduced
    Introduced, referred to Transportation. S.J. 177 .

Version history

Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.

View official text →

Lobbying Activity

No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.

Full breakdown

Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.

Sponsors

Amy SinclairSenate · District 12RepublicanPrimary sponsor

Discoveries

1 pattern noticed across the record

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

cross reference90% confidence

Reference to SF 2426

The official bill description cross-references Senate File 2426 in relation to commercial driver language proficiency requirements.

SF 2426

Connected Entities

Amy Sinclair, road use tax fund
PersonAmy Sinclair“Senate file sponsor”Map →
Organizationroad use tax fund“Fund where civil penalties collected by the department are deposited”Map →

Sources

Open source document

www.legis.iowa.gov

Analysis Score

0–100
  • Significance75
    How much this matters to a regular citizen
  • Controversy60
    Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
  • Entertainment10
    Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
  • Buzz40
    Current news / social attention level

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