07/14/2007

News / S.C. Driver's Manual also speaks Spanish

Issue drove criticism; DMV chief says no more will be printed
The South Carolina Driver's Manual comes in English and Spanish, but with only one official state language, some are questioning if the practice helps support illegal immigrants getting licenses.

"They are going to drive regardless," said Dinah Pimienta of Ladson, who went to the Department of Motor Vehicles on Leeds Avenue to change her address Thursday. "It's better they understand the laws."

Pimienta, who is originally from Puerto Rico, said she has friends who emigrated to the country legally and she wants to see them be able to drive.

"They've already stopped illegal immigrants from getting licenses, so what do the manuals matter?" she said.

To William Sloane of North Charleston, it's simple.

"If they're in America, they should learn to speak English," he said.

Senate President Pro Tem Glenn McConnell raised the issue recently after learning that the manuals were available in Spanish. Under state law, the official language here is English and by McConnell's interpretation, it is clear that official business for the state must be communicated in English.

"When I heard about it, I was stunned," said McConnell, R-Charleston. "We have people who have emigrated from all over the world, but they have assimilated and learned to speak the language, and I don't think there should be an exception."

McConnell was also concerned about the cost to the state for printing the manuals, and for offering the computerized driving test in Spanish, German and French, in addition to English.

DMV Chief of Staff Jimmy Earley said the agency, while it was a division of the state Department of Public Safety, printed 40,000 Spanish-language manuals in 2002. A little more than 10,000 are still being distributed, but no more will be printed, he said.it's simple.

"If they're in America, they should learn to speak English," he said.

Senate President Pro Tem Glenn McConnell raised the issue recently after learning that the manuals were available in Spanish. Under state law, the official language here is English and by McConnell's interpretation, it is clear that official business of the state must be communicated in English.
"When I heard about it, I was stunned," said McConnell, R-Charleston. "We have people who have immigrated from all over the world, but they have assimilated and learned to speak the language, and I don't think there should be an exception."

McConnell was also concerned about the cost to the state for printing the manuals, and for offering the computerized driving test in Spanish, German and French, in addition to English.

DMV Chief of Staff Jimmy Earley said the agency, while it was a division of the state Department of Public Safety, printed 40,000 Spanish-language manuals in 2002. A little more than 10,000 are still being distributed, but no more will be printed, he said.

It cost $36,948 to print the manuals, which was paid for by a federal grant, and $7,000 to translate the book, Earley said. McConnell questioned how the agency was given the authority to print the manuals, but Earley said it is not clear.

South Carolina's neighboring states accommodate people who don't speak English when it comes to licensing drivers. Georgia, North Carolina and Florida all offer computerized tests in multiple languages. However, only Georgia offers printed materials solely in English.

Other materials — brochures and posters written in Spanish — can be found in the state's DMV offices, but they are provided by organizations such as Donate Life, which promotes organs and tissue donations.

The computerized test was first offered in foreign languages in 2000 and cost an estimated $15,000. Foreigners with valid visas can obtain licenses as long as they provide correct documentation.

The DMV has a long list of safeguards in place to prevent illegal immigrants from obtaining licenses, DMV spokeswoman Beth Parks said. Portions of the DMV's fraud prevention center were developed after 1998, when investigators found that someone inside the Walterboro DMV was providing official-looking licenses to illegal immigrants.

Former state Rep. John Graham Altman, who raised the issue in May at the Charleston County Republican Convention, said there is only one reason the manuals are available in Spanish.

"I think there are illegal aliens getting licenses; otherwise, why would they be printing the South Carolina driver's handbook in Spanish," he said. "To be over here legally, you need to speak English."

He also said that driver's licenses are the key to obtaining many government services, such as work and unemployment or welfare benefits. What's more, Altman said, words on road signs are in English and police officers here communicate in English, so drivers need to also know the language, he said.

"If you're going to drive a car near me, I want you to understand what the word 'stop' means in English," he said. "The only Spanish I want South Carolinians to learn is adios."

Gov. Mark Sanford's spokesman, Joel Sawyer, said now that the DMV is part of the governor's Cabinet, no more Spanish-language materials will be printed. However, the timing of raising the issue is curious, Sawyer said, after the Legislature adjourned this year without passing legislation to address illegal immigration.

McConnell said he believes the General Assembly should address the "broad, philosophical question" underscoring the issue when it reconvenes next year.

"Is it a good practice to license people to drive on the roads who are unable to write or speak English?" McConnell said.

Reach Yvonne M. Wenger at ywenger@postandcourier.com or 803-799-9051.
By Yvonne Wenger (Contact)
Source: http://www.charleston.net/news/2007/jul/13/s_c_drivers_manual/

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