Missouri House Transportation Committee Votes to Limit License Exams to English
March 11, 2009
In a vote today, the Transportation Committee of the Missouri House of Representatives recommended passage of H.B. 696, legislation that would require all Missouri driver’s license examinations to be conducted in English.
Driver’s license examinations in languages other than English have come under increased scrutiny in recent years. As states work to improve road safety and increase security, state legislators have been pressuring motor vehicle departments to ensure that licensed drivers can understand English sufficiently.
Unable to comprehend shouted warnings, police commands and digital, changeable-message signs, drivers with a limited understanding of English can create a danger for themselves and the drivers, law enforcement officers and construction workers around them.
U.S. English, Inc. is the nation's oldest and largest non-partisan citizens' action group dedicated to preserving the unifying role of the English language in the United States. Founded in 1983 by the late Sen. S.I. Hayakawa of California, U.S. English, Inc. () now has more than 1.8 million members.
