Murkowski Fights Red Tape for Veterans’ Jobs
Senator Encourages Federal Government to Ease Path to Commercial Licenses
WASHINGTON, DC – Senator Lisa Murkowski today reached out to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to advocate that it make common-sense changes to its policies in an effort to improve access to commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) for America’s veterans who are already fully trained to operate large commercial-size vehicles.
Senator Murkowski was the lead Republican co-sponsor of the Veteran Employment Assistance Act of 2010, attempting to craft into law such a provision for our men and women returning from conflict. With the Senate failing to enact that legislation, she is deciding to take her mission directly to the authority figures within FMCSA. In her letter to Administrator Anne Ferro, Senator Murkowski writes:
“Currently, veterans who have military driving experience and/or military CDLs must go through the training and testing that those without experience go through to obtain a Class A CDL. This represents a significant burden for veterans seeking employment. I believe that helping veterans gain employment is a top priority …
“I also encourage FMCSA to work with [the Department of Defense] to help ease the transition for veterans between military licenses and civilian CDL licenses.”
The letter to FMCSA Administrator is attached.
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