Commentary by Sen. Scott Beason (R-Gardendale) and Michael Ciamarra

Special to The North Jefferson News



English is the language of success and provides the basis for American cultural unity. Recent polls show the 87 percent of all Americans support making English the official language of government. Moreover, 83 percent agree that new immigrants should be required to learn English.

What does that mean? Well, for starters how about simply giving Alabama drivers license exams in English.

In 2004 the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that Alabama experienced the second highest increase in work-related fatalities of any southern state, driven by an astounding 100 percent rise in traffic accidents. The increase according to BLS officials is due to a number of non-English speaking drivers on the road.

It is common sense that allowing residents who cannot read traffic warning signs written in English to drive 24 hours a day, all year long on Alabama roads and highways are a threat to public safety.

If you are a citizen or legal immigrant applying for a driver’s license, the overriding factor of public safety demands that exams be given only in English. The fact that drivers who don’t understand English are a direct threat to other motorists has nothing to do with what some elites, who are critical of English as the official language of government, call living in a “global economy.”

In fact, meeting the challenge of the global economy in the 21st Century requires that Alabama does everything possible to encourage new immigrants to learn English, not the reverse.

English is the language of global commerce. And learning to speak English well raises legal immigrants employment skills and ability to assimilate.

Allowing immigrants to take driver’s license tests in their native language profoundly undermines one of the most powerful incentives there is for learning English.

A decade ago Alabama voters ratified overwhelmingly for a constitutional amendment declaring English as the official language of government. “English is the official language of the state of Alabama,” affirmed the amendment. Seven years later when the English policy was challenged in court, then Gov. Don Siegelman instituted giving driver’s license test in over a dozen languages, including Chinese and Arabic.

The Alabama Supreme Court last October threw out a lawsuit that challenged the policy of the state to administer driver’s license exams in English. The constitutional amendment also affirmed that “…officials of the state of Alabama shall take all necessary steps to insure that the role of English as the common language of the state of Alabama is preserved and enhanced.” That is pretty plain English.

Since the Legislature did not enforce this amendment by appropriate legislation, I will be introducing legislation this week that will reinstitute the common sense policy of requiring that driver’s license examinations be given in English alone.

New, legal immigrants deserve our willingness to help them learn English, not our condescension. Americans from all backgrounds understand the importance of learning and using English. So the only question is: Does the leadership in the Alabama Legislature support English too?

Sen. Scott Beason (R-Gardendale) serves on Banking and Insurance, Finance and Taxation General Fund, Governmental Affairs, Small Business and Children and Human Resources senate committees. Michael Ciamarra is vice president of the Alabama Policy Institute and can be reached at michaelc@alabamapolicy.org