Oklahoma Seeks to Protect its Highways with Innovative Approach
States like Oklahoma are taking action to protect their citizens from drivers who have proven that they are willing to defy the law.
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy is doing his best to protect Americans from incidents like the crash in Florida that took three lives last August, but he can only do so much. Despite Sec. Duffy pulling $160 million in federal funding, California Gov. Gavin Newsom continues to drag his feet over revoking 17,000 commercial driver’s licenses given without verification of citizenship or lawful presence. California’s annual transportation budget is approximately $18 billion, leading to speculation over how effective pulling federal funding will be.
Unlike California, states like Oklahoma are taking action to protect their citizens from drivers who have proven that they are willing to defy the law. In South Carolina, Speaker Pro Tempore Thomas Pope and Rep. Dennis C. Moss are sponsoring a similar bill.
Oklahoma State Senator and 2025 ALEC Legislator of the Year Micheal Bergstrom is leading the charge to make Oklahoma’s highways safe. Senate Bill 1243 is consistent with the Protect Your Highways Act, recently adopted by ALEC. If adopted, Oklahoma would no longer recognize any driver’s license or commercial driver’s license issued without citizenship or lawful presence verification. Additionally, Oklahoma would not issue a license without verification of citizenship.
Recently passed at ALEC’s States and Nation Policy Summit, the Protect Your Highways Act aims to help states ensure their roads are safe from the consequences of California-style policies. This act mandates that only U.S. citizens or people lawfully present in the United States can hold a driver’s license, and stipulates all driver’s licenses issued by another state that do not meet these requirements will no longer be considered valid. Additionally, it requires the Department of Motor Vehicles to keep a record of verification and put a clear indication of U.S. citizenship on the driver’s license itself.
The Protect Your Highways Act is based on Florida statute, invalidating licenses that do not meet the requirements and treating violations with a “driving without a license” charge. Now, other states are following suit.
“Common sense and evidence displayed in media stories of horrendous accidents across the country tell us that anyone who is going to drive on our roads needs to be able to understand the laws and signage on the roads, as well as properly operate their vehicles,” said Sen. Bergstrom. “This act will save lives.”