PIERRE, S.D. (AP) - The South Dakota Senate has approved a bill that would allow the state to offer a written driver’s license test in Spanish.
The legislation passed Monday now goes to the House for its consideration. The driving skills portion of the test would still be done in English.
The Argus Leader reports the bill’s sponsor, Republican Sen. V.J. Smith, says the main argument from opponents is that test takers should know English. But, Smith says they can already use an interpreter at the exam, so they already don’t need to know English.
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Sen. Maggie Sutton opposed the bill.
“Driving is a privilege, not a right,” the Sioux Falls Republican said.
Sutton said her grandmother spoke only Spanish when she arrived in the United States, learned English and became a U.S. citizen.
Sutton said she’s also concerned that workers who don’t learn English can be taken advantage of in the workplace.
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