Dear GA House of Representatives:
OCA Georgia (OCA-GA), is extremely disappointed with the Georgia Senate’s passage of
Senate Bill 67 (SB 67), the English language drivers license test bill. We urge distinguished
House of Representatives members to vote against this bill.
Despite the stated purpose of the bill, there is no evidence that Limited English Proficient (LEP)
persons cause a disproportionately higher number of accidents on the road or cause a public
safety issue. SB 67 provides an exception for illiterate persons who cannot read or write in
any language, whereas LEP Asian citizens have a limited ability to read, write and understand
English.
SB 67 is also in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and could rob the state of much
needed federal funds for the Department of Drivers Services. SB 67 might also violate the
Equal Protection provisions of the US Constitution.
Approximately 5,000 GA citizens take the written test in a non-English language per month.
Currently, the written drivers test is provided in approximately 13 different languages, with
Korean and Japanese being in the top three languages. This bill discourages global business
investments because of the anti-immigrant nature and intent.
international investments from KIA and at the same time this bill sends the wrong message
about exclusion instead of inclusion.
This bill if passed will impact tens of thousands of GA citizens, many of whom are Asian Pacific
American. It will stop people from driving to work, driving their children to school, or driving to
the hospital or to ESL courses. It would also take away from many citizens one of the most
important and common state identification cards that people use to open bank accounts, utility
services and other basic services.
We urge you to vote against SB 67 to protect legal citizens of the great
state of Georgia. |