Alabama: Eliminating Incentive

[Harold Schiffman]

Eliminating incentive
Published February 18, 2008


 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
"Éofficials 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?

Scott Beason is a state senator from Gardendale. Michael Ciamarra is
vice president of the Alabama Policy Institute and can be reached at
michaelc at alabama policy.org

http://www.gadsdentimes.com/article/20080218/NEWS/802180303/1044/OPINION
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