Nebraska State Senator Dave Bloomfield recently proposed a new bill that would eliminate Spanish version state driver exams, and force all applicants to take the test in English.
The proposal immediately drew criticism from many Latino advocacy groups, who called the proposal racist.
Bloomfield, who spent years as a truck driver before getting into politics, defended the bill by saying it would significantly increase road safety.
The bill “is about the safety of everyone on our roads,” he said. “If you can’t read English, how can you read the signs on our roads?”
Adrian Sanchez, the chairman of Nebraska’s Latino American Commission, responded by saying the bill would create an unnecessary barrier, by forcing applicants to learn English before applying for a driver’s license.
According to the NP Telegraph, Sanchez argued that easy-to-recognize road signs make it possible for drivers to navigate the roadways without understanding English fluently.
In addition, Sanchez said forcing immigrants to learn English will increase the number of people driving illegally. “People not proficient in English may just navigate our roads illegally” he said.
Bloomfield is currently in his final year in office, due to term limits, and countered the cries of racism by stating that he has a daughter-in-law and grandson who are Hispanic.