Ohio State Representative Pushing to Strengthen English Proficiency for Drivers

Ohio State Representative Michelle Teska (R-Clearcreek Twp.) is promoting legislative action to strengthen Ohio’s licensing laws and ensure all drivers on state roads are fluent in English.

Rep. Teska has spent several months focused on this issue, which came to head after several recent law enforcement stops revealed a number of commercial truck drivers active in the state lacked proficiency in English.

So far, Rep. Tesla has worked with her fellow legislators, law enforcement officers, prosecutors, government officials, and policy experts to discuss ways to reform state licensing and protect drivers on Ohio’s roads.

This has resulted in several legislative amendments to road safety legislation, including language in Rep. Jean Schmidt’s (R-Loveland) House Bill 753, which would require driver examinations to be conducted in English.

In a formal statement, Rep. Teska reinforced why this is such an important public safety issue: “It doesn’t matter where you were born. If you are driving on Ohio roads, you need to understand our laws, read our road signs, and safely operate your vehicle.”

As we’ve extensively chronicled over the past year, fluency in English should be a mandatory requirement in order to drive on our roads. Dalilah’s Law is a critical piece of legislation that directly addresses this issue, and which we’ve covered over the last year.

While this bill makes its way through Congress, it’s encouraging that a state lawmaker is taking the initiative to uphold road safety. We’ll continue to follow these efforts at both the state and federal levels and keep you informed of any developments.