If you’re hauling freight on America’s highways, safety isn’t optional. It’s the price of admission.

That principle is at the heart of Dalilah’s Law, which the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee passed today.

Backed by President Trump during last month’s State of the Union, this legislation reinforces a fundamental principle: only properly trained and qualified professionals should be behind the wheel of an 80,000-pound truck. It strengthens safety standards, ensures drivers can understand and communicate in English, and closes loopholes that have allowed unqualified or improperly licensed individuals to slip through the cracks — making roads safer for everyone.

FAMILY PUSHES FOR ‘DALILAH’S LAW' AFTER TRUMP HONORS GIRL CRITICALLY INJURED BY ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT TRUCK DRIVER

Dalilah’s Law is named for a young girl whose life was forever changed by a preventable crash involving an undocumented immigrant behind the wheel of a commercial truck.

Speeding through a construction zone, this reckless driver hit the car five-year-old Dalilah Coleman was traveling in, leaving her with permanent disabilities that will require lifelong care. It is a devastating example of what happens when safety standards are not upheld or enforced.

SOME STATES HAVE LET UNQUALIFIED FOREIGN DRIVERS ON THE ROAD AND AMERICANS PAY THE PRICE

In the years following COVID-19, a surge in freight demand brought an influx of opportunity seekers into our industry. While many answered the call responsibly, others chased quick profits without respecting the safety standards on which the industry depends. When enforcement slips, safety suffers. And that’s when tragedies like Dalilah’s happen. We saw it in Florida. We saw it in California. We saw it in Indiana.

Dalilah’s Law addresses these gaps head-on.

DUFFY EXPOSES 54% OF NORTH CAROLINA TRUCK LICENSES ISSUED ILLEGALLY TO 'DANGEROUS DRIVERS'

It ensures consistent enforcement of English-language proficiency requirements during roadside inspections and makes clear that drivers who cannot meet those standards should be placed out of service. It modernizes the driver record notification system, so motor carriers are promptly alerted if a driver’s commercial driver’s license (CDL) has been revoked, suspended, or is otherwise invalid. And it requires the Department of Transportation to strengthen oversight of training providers, ensuring new drivers receive the instruction they need to operate safely.

Just as importantly, it reinforces accountability across the CDL system. States play a central role in issuing licenses, and consistent, rigorous enforcement is critical. By closing gaps and improving coordination, this legislation helps remove bad actors from the road while supporting the vast majority who are doing the job the right way.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINION

This is what it looks like when government and industry work together to fix a real problem. President Trump, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Rep. David Rouzer, and the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee have answered the call to strengthen roadway safety.

At its core, trucking is about trust. Americans trust that the goods they rely on will arrive safely. They trust that the trucks they share the road with are operated by qualified professionals. And they trust that the system overseeing this industry is working as it should.

Dalilah’s story is a painful reminder of what’s at stake when we fall short. This legislation is our opportunity to make sure we don’t.

There’s no room for shortcuts when lives are on the line. Congress must pass Dalilah’s Law.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM CHRIS SPEAR

A progressive Chicago lawmaker issued an apology Tuesday after facing backlash for suggesting a slain college student was in the "wrong place at the wrong time."

Last Thursday, Sheridan Gorman, 18, of Westchester County, New York, was gunned down while taking a walk with friends around 1:30 a.m. along Chicago's lakefront.

Alderwoman Maria Hadden sparked outrage on social media after she suggested in an interview with Fox 32 Chicago that the Loyola University Chicago student was in the "wrong place at the wrong time" and that she may have "startled" the individual who shot and killed her.

The local Democrat's comments were slammed as insensitive and also prompted a response from Gorman’s family, who referenced her remarks.

PRITZKER BREAKS SILENCE ON MIGRANT CHARGED IN STUDENT’S MURDER, BLAMES TRUMP FOR ‘POLITICIZING’ CASE

Hadden, a progressive ally of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, released a statement Tuesday saying her interview on Fox 32 had "gone viral on conservative media," and that her comments were in response to a question comparing Gorman's murder to a separate 2018 case.

"In an effort to make sense of a senseless situation, I said things that landed wrong with some people," she said. "My comments were never intended to blame the victim or to imply that Sheridan should not have been out enjoying the park or that it was her fault that she was shot.

"In the interview, I tried my best to share what limited information I had with our community as fast as possible while helping to address the fears people had about the shooting," Hadden continued. "I sincerely apologize for any additional pain that my comments may have caused."

MASKED GUNMAN KILLS LOYOLA CHICAGO COLLEGE STUDENT IN SHOOTING NEAR CAMPUS; POLICE HUNT FOR SUSPECT

She added, "The fact that some media outlets are intentionally creating sound bites to misconstrue my words during this tragedy is also unfortunate."

Gorman’s family referenced Hadden’s remarks from the Fox 32 interview, saying the slain college student "deserved the future that was stolen from her."

"What happened to Sheridan cannot be reduced to the idea of someone being in the wrong place at the wrong time. This is not an abstraction. This is the loss of a daughter. The loss of a sister. The loss of a future filled with milestones that will now never come. Our family is forever changed."

CHICAGO LAWMAKER RIPPED OVER 'DISGUSTING' RESPONSE TO COLLEGE STUDENT KILLED BY ALLEGED ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT

The family added: "We cannot accept a world where moments like this become something people grow used to. We cannot allow ourselves to become desensitized to violence. When we begin to accept these tragedies as inevitable, we all become vulnerable to them. Apathy is not harmless—it allows these moments to repeat."

Jose Medina-Medina was arrested and charged with Gorman’s murder.

According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Medina is an illegal immigrant who entered the U.S. during the Biden administration before being apprehended and released into the country.

DHS said the 25-year-old Venezuelan national was previously arrested for shoplifting in Chicago.

Fox News Digital's Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.