South Carolina DMV to abolish Spanish language driver's manuals

The Chief of Staff for the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles announced recently that South Carolina will cease printing the Spanish language version of the driver's manual once the current supply is exhausted. The decision came soon after Senate President Pro Tempore Glenn McConnell cited the issuance of the manuals as being in conflict with South Carolina state law, which declares English as the official language of the state.

"While some will cite the $44,000 savings in discontinuing the printing of Spanish language driver's manuals, the more important aspect of this decision is the declaration that government will no longer provide a permanent linguistic crutch," said Mauro E. Mujica, Chairman of U.S. English. "The people of South Carolina expect that newcomers to the United States should be on the road to learning English and they expect that government will promote policies consistent with that goal. By encouraging immigrants toward English fluency, the South Carolina DMV is promoting individual acheivement and beneficial societal policy."

The South Carolina legislature made English the official language of the state in 1987, and recent polls have shown that state residents remain steadfast in their support of similar policies nationwide. A June 2007 poll by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research, Inc. found that 78 percent of registered voters in South Carolina support making English the official language of the United States, with majorities recorded among all tabulated subsets of the population.

"This decision levels the playing field for all newcomers to the United States," added Mujica. "Speakers of Chinese and Tagalog, the fifth and sixth most common languages spoken in South Carolina do not have driver's manuals printed in their languages, and Census data shows that speakers of these languages are quicker to acquire English fluency. In too many cases, out-of-control government multilingualism is holding immigrants back."

Currently, only five states — Alaska, New Hampshire, South Dakota, West Virginia and Wyoming — do not offer driver's license examinations in languages other than English.