107TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION S. 1344

AN ACT

To provide training and technical assistance to Native Americans who are interested in commercial vehicle driving

careers.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Native American Com5 mercial Driving Training and Technical Assistance Act’’.
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1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.

2 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that—

3 (1) despite the availability of abundant natural

4 resources on land under the jurisdiction of Indian

5 tribes and the existence of a rich cultural legacy that

6 accords great value to self-determination, self-reli7 ance, and independence, Native Americans suffer

8 higher rates of unemployment, poverty, poor health,

9 substandard housing, and associated social problems

10 than any other group in the United States;

11 (2) the United States has an obligation to as12 sist Native American communities in the establish13 ment of appropriate economic and political condi14 tions;

15 (3) the economic success and material well16 being of Indian communities depend on the com17 bined efforts of the Federal Government, tribal gov18 ernments, the private sector, and individuals;

19 (4) commercial vehicle driving programs are

20 currently offered at several tribal colleges and uni21 versities;

22 (5) the American Trucking Association reports

23 that at least until 2005, the trucking industry will

24 need to hire 403,000 truck drivers each year to fill

25 vacant positions;
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1 (6) according to the Federal Government Occu2 pational Handbook, the commercial vehicle driving

3 industry is expected to expand at the average rate

4 of expansion for all occupations through the year

5 2008 because of economic growth and an increase in

6 the quantity of freight carried by trucks; and

7 (7) a career in commercial vehicle driving offers

8 a competitive salary, employment benefits, job secu9 rity, and a profession.

10 (b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this Act are—

11 (1) to foster and promote job creation and eco12 nomic opportunities for Native Americans; and

13 (2) to provide education, technical, and training

14 assistance to Native Americans who are interested in

15 commercial vehicle driving careers.

16 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

17 In this Act:

18 (1) COMMERCIAL VEHICLE DRIVING.—The term

19 ‘‘commercial vehicle driving’’ means the driving of—

20 (A) a vehicle that is a tractor-trailer truck;

21 or

22 (B) any other vehicle (such as a bus or a

23 vehicle used for the purpose of construction) the

24 driving of which requires a commercial license.
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1 (2) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘‘Indian tribe’’

2 has the meaning given the term in section 4 of the

3 Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance

4 Act (25 U.S.C. 450b).

5 (3) NATIVE AMERICAN.—The term ‘‘Native

6 American’’ means an individual who is a member

7 of—

8 (A) an Indian tribe; or

9 (B) any people or culture that is indige10 nous to the United States, as determined by the

11 Secretary.

12 (4) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means

13 the Secretary of Labor.

14 SEC. 4. COMMERCIAL VEHICLE DRIVING TRAINING PRO15 GRAM.

16 (a) GRANTS.—The Secretary may provide grants, on

17 a competitive basis, to entities described in subsection (b)

18 to support programs providing training and certificates

19 leading to the licensing of Native Americans with respect

20 to commercial vehicle driving.

21 (b) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible to receive a grant

22 under subsection (a), an entity shall—

23 (1) be a tribal college or university (as defined

24 in section 316(b)(3) of the Higher Education Act

25 (20 U.S.C. 1059(b)(3)); and
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1 (2) prepare and submit to the Secretary an ap2 plication at such time, in such manner, and con3 taining such information as the Secretary may re4 quire.

5 (c) PRIORITY.—In providing grants under subsection

6 (a), the Secretary shall give priority to grant applications

7 that—

8 (1) propose training that exceeds proposed min9 imum standards for training tractor-trailer drivers

10 of the Department of Transportation;

11 (2) propose training that exceeds the entry level

12 truck driver certification standards set by the Pro13 fessional Truck Driver Institute; and

14 (3) propose an education partnership with a

15 private trucking firm, trucking association, or simi16 lar entity in order to ensure the effectiveness of the

17 grant program under this section.

18 (d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There

19 are authorized to be appropriated such sums as are nec20 essary to carry out this Act.

Passed the Senate September 17, 2002.

Attest:

Secretary.
107TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION S. 1344

AN ACT

To provide training and technical assistance to Native Americans who are interested in commercial

vehicle driving careers.