OKLAHOMA CITY – Rep. Mike Dobrinski, R-Okeene, today passed legislation in the House that would allow Micronesian residents in Oklahoma to obtain a non-domiciled commercial driver's license (CDL) or commercial learner's permit. The licenses were previously only available to temporary agricultural workers and foreign exchange agriculture students.

Dobrinski said Senate Bill 682 has support from government, industry and private businesses who are hoping to see this much needed change signed into law.

"The Micronesian People are unique in their citizenship status dating back to the Compact of Free Association in the Reagan administration," Dobrinski explained. "They are dependable, hard-working productive employees who could help alleviate the driver shortage in our transportation industry."

The Compact of Free Association provides access to many U.S. domestic programs. In 2018 the REAL ID Act was amended to make the Micronesian people eligible for the identification card.

Dobrinski said the language in SB 682 is a collaboration with Service Oklahoma to allow these Micronesian citizens to obtain a CDL in Oklahoma like in the more than 20 other states that have approved this type of license.

Sen. Roland Pederson, R-Burlington, is the Senate author of the bill.

“Senate Bill 682 was one of my top legislative priorities for this year’s session and I appreciate Rep. Dobrinski’s hard work to make this a reality,” Pederson said. “Micronesian Day on Wednesday will be even more special as we will get to celebrate this bill being one step closer to becoming law.”

In addition to the Micronesian population, any person with a valid immigration status in Oklahoma would be able to obtain this type of CDL, according to Service Oklahoma. Several CDL drivers were impacted when the law changed in 2015, and this would allow those individuals to return to the workforce. Currently there are approximately 40 non-domiciled CDL holders in the state of Oklahoma; 10-15 CDLs are issued per year. These licenses are valid for 180 days

The amendments under SB 682 are consistent with Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations.

The measure passed the House with a vote of 79-9. It now returns to the Senate before being sent to the governor for his consideration of signing it into law.