HB 1252 - AS INTRODUCED
2026 SESSION
26-2768
12/06
HOUSE BILL 1252
SPONSORS: Rep. Gorski, Hills. 2; Rep. T. Walsh, Merr. 10; Rep. Labrie, Hills. 2; Rep. Creighton, Hills. 30; Rep. Sabourin dit Choiniere, Rock. 30; Rep. Rice, Hills. 38; Sen. Ricciardi, Dist 9
COMMITTEE: Transportation
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ANALYSIS
This bill codifies the recent enforcement of a federal requirement that the administration of the skills test for commercial driver's licenses only be conducted in English, and that interpreters are not permitted for the administration of the skills test.
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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.
Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]
Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
26-2768
12/06
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty-Six
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 Commercial Driver License Qualification Standards; Testing Requirements; English Proficiency. Amend RSA 263:87 to read as follows:
263:87 Commercial Driver License Qualification Standards. No person shall be issued a commercial driver license unless that person is a resident of the state of New Hampshire and has passed a knowledge and skills test for driving a commercial motor vehicle. The knowledge and skills test shall comply with minimum federal standards established by federal regulation, as enumerated in 49 C.F.R. part 383, [sub-parts] subparts G and A, in addition to other requirements imposed by state law or federal regulation. The tests shall be prescribed and conducted by the department. Interpreters are prohibited during the administration of skills tests. Applicants for a commercial driver's license must be able to understand and respond to verbal commands and instructions in English by a skills test examiner. Neither the applicant nor the examiner may communicate in a language other than English during the skills test. The department may authorize a person, including an agency of this or another state, an employer, a private driver training facility, or other private institution, or a department, agency, or instrumentality of local government, to administer the skills test in accordance with 49 C.F.R. part 383.
2 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.
Dec. 1, 2025: Introduced 01/07/2026 and referred to Transportation