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February 11, 2010 Volume 6, Number 6
In This Issue . Taking the Driver's Test in English . A Little Bit of Humor. Contact Me *Representative* *Cynthia Davis* 19^th District Missouri State Capitol Room 113 201 W. Capitol Ave. Jefferson City, MO 65101 Phone: 573-751-9768 Website http://www.cynthiadavis.net/ E-Mail cynthia.davis@house.mo.gov Find me on Committees Special Committee on Children and Families *Chair* Health Care Policy Elections State Parks and Waterways State Links State of Missouri *Official Homepage for Missouri State Government* Missouri General Assembly *Official Government Homepage for your Missouri Senator and Representative* House of Representatives *Look up Missouri House Bills - View Entire Text, Summary, and Last Action* Missouri State Senate *Look up Missouri Senate Bills* Attorney General's Office *Consumer Complaints & Fraudulent Activity, No-Call List* Local Links St. Charles County Government City of O'Fallon City of Dardenne Prairie City of St. Peters City of Wentzville City of St. Charles City of St. Paul City of Cottleville Federal Links Congressman Todd Akin Congressman Blaine Luetkemeyer Senator Kit Bond Senator Claire McCaskill Other Links Missouri State Constitution Missouri State Jobs		Dr. Betty Varghese came to the Capitol last week to be our "Physician of the Day" Her medical practice is in my District. The other representative in the photo is Cole McNary. Taking the Driver's Test in English When I took a child to the State Highway Patrol testing facility in St. Charles to get her driver-learner's permit, I asked one of the employees if it is true that people can take the test in foreign languages. She told me that the test has been given in up to 27 languages! This surprised me because the level of fluency in English necessary to take a test still doesn't demand that you are fully functional in all areas of the English language. Last night we had a public hearing on my bill, HB 1231, which allows drivers licenses to be administered only in English. When I drafted the bill, I noticed that there was nothing in Missouri statues that allow these tests to be administered in any foreign language. I am sure that it never occurred to the legislators -who wrote the rules on driver-license testing- that any one would question whether it has to be in English. With the absence of any prohibition, our state started administering these tests in any language so long as the license-applicant provides the interpreter. Officially, Missouri prints the written license test in 12 different languages. Those having trouble learning our language are not necessarily doing so well on these tests even with their interpreters. The following are the latest statistics provided by the Missouri State Highway Patrol: Administered 4406 tests in Spanish; 3309 failed Administered 2003 tests in Chinese; 1260 failed Administered 1128 in Vietnamese; 859 failed Administered 427 tests in Russian; 326 failed Administered 65 tests in Italian; 60 failed Administered 7 tests in Greek; 5 failed This is a safety issue. If a person cannot speak enough English to follow basic commands such as "Pull over", "Parallel Park", "Back Up", "Stop", how do we know they can understand our requirement for vehicle insurance or read the English road signs? Further, for the sake of the safety of the foreigner, what if he or she were in an accident and could not tell the police officer what happened? Getting a driver's license is a privilege, not a right. It is appropriate for us to confer this privilege on those who can navigate through our culture enough to pass this test. My sister moved to France and had to learn the French language before she could take the test. Everybody who comes to America knows ahead of time that we are an English speaking country and they expect to learn our language. Since persons taking the test had a translator's help to overcome the language barrier, we can only conclude that factors beyond language were involved. Operating a motor vehicle can be dangerous, and it is important to our safety to keep our standards high. We need to be patient, kind and compassionate to those who come from foreign countries. My grandfather came from a foreign country, but he leaned to speak English and became far more successful as a result. Loving our neighbor might mean helping him learn our language. *Your thoughts are important to me, so please let me know if you think the drivers license exams should be taken in English only.* *You can send me your opinion by clicking here: Cynthia Davis* A Little Bit of Humor . . . I had an X-ray done today, and they found you in my heart. The Doctor said if they took you out, I would die, because I could not live without you as a friend, or a cherished recipient of my Capitol Report! Before marriage, a man yearns for the woman he loves. After marriage, the "y" becomes silent. Question: How do some men define marriage? Answer: A very expensive way to get your laundry done. A man said his credit card was stolen but he decided not to report it because the thief was spending less than his wife did. Marriage is grand -- and divorce is at least 100 grand. This Capitol Report is a weekly column by Representative Cynthia Davis, from the 19^th District, covering events in the Missouri Legislature and district-wide issues. ? If you know anyone who would like to receive my Capitol Report, please send an e-mail to Cynthia Davis with the person's name and e-mail address. We'll add them to the list. ? If you would like to stop receiving the Capitol Report click unsubscribe and write "unsubscribe" in the subject line.