Panel exempts DOC programs while advancing bill on state interaction with commercial CDL schools

Representative Hayes presented Senate Bill 1595 to regulate how state agencies interact with commercial driver training (CDL) schools. The bill would bar agencies from recommending particular CDL schools and would prohibit grant decisions that favor or disfavor students based on their choice of CDL provider.

Hayes proposed and the committee adopted an amendment inserting a new subsection to exempt any commercial driving training school administered by the Oklahoma Department of Corrections. "It just exempt DOC being that we don't we wanna exempt that state agency due to the fact that they're incarcerated," Hayes said when explaining the intent to exclude DOC programs from the bill’s restrictions. The amendment was adopted by unanimous consent and the committee reported the bill as do pass, 9-0.

The committee did not record additional substantive debate on grant administration details in the transcript; the bill sponsor moved the measure forward for further consideration.