New Law Ends Oklahoma Spanish Driver’s Tests

A new state law that took effect Nov. 1 will prevent the waste of taxpayer dollars on Spanish-language drivers’ tests, the bill’s author said today.

“In a year of budget cuts, it makes no sense to spend extra money on Spanish-language drivers’ tests that serve no legitimate public policy purpose,” said state Rep. Randy Terrill, R-Moore. “Providing this special accommodation to non-English speakers indirectly encourages illegal immigration and prevents assimilation of legal immigrants.”

House Bill 2252, by Terrill and state Sen. Anthony Sykes, repealed the requirement for the Department of Public Safety to provide driver’s license tests in Spanish. The bill went into effect on Nov. 1.

Drivers who cannot read or speak English pose a public safety risk, Terrill noted.

“Individuals who cannot speak or read English cannot read most road signs and they cannot communicate with other drivers, law-enforcement personnel, or emergency responders in the event of an accident,” Terrill said.

The risk associated with non-English-proficient drivers is one reason the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s regulations require individuals seeking a commercial license for interstate commerce to “read and speak the English language sufficiently to converse with the general public, to understand highway traffic signs and signals in the English language, to respond to official inquiries and to make entries on reports and records.”

House Bill 2252 was prompted, in part, by a federal government investigation of the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety over allegations the agency violated the civil rights of two Iranian immigrants who were not provided written driver’s license exams in Farsi, the dominant language of Iran.

The state has received multiple foreign-language requests since that time.

“If a government agency agrees to provide services in one foreign language, what basis does it have to deny services in any of the 322 languages now spoken in the U.S.?” Terrill asked. “By treating all citizens the same, House Bill 2252 also reduces the chances of a successful lawsuit that further drains taxpayer dollars.”

He noted the cost of providing driver’s tests in foreign languages is between $25,000 and $50,000 per language, per year.

“At a time of significant budget cuts, we need to make every dollar count and cannot afford to waste money on these tests,” Terrill said.

Research has also shown that English proficiency provides enormous financial benefits for legal immigrants, Terrill noted.

“Proficiency in English increases the degree of one’s civic participation as well as earnings potential,” Terrill said. “State policy should not discourage the assimilation process and hold back legal immigrants.”