Minnesota is known for its 10,000 lakes, cold winters, and Scandinavian heritage – our football team, after all, is called the Vikings.

But Minnesota is also home to many other cultures. For example, we have the largest Hmong population in the United States. The Hmong are an ethnic group with ancient roots in China who began arriving in Minnesota in 1975 as refugees from the wars in Laos. Additionally, Latinos now account for 6% of the population of the state.

As a State Senator I represent Moorhead, Minnesota and the areas around it. Combined with our neighbor on the North Dakota side of the border, Fargo, we have a Kurdish population of well over 1,000. Kurds began coming to the area in the early 1990s after the first Gulf War and continue to arrive.

Our area has been a refugee resettlement area for quite some time. There are over 40 languages spoken in the Moorhead School District. Our unemployment rate is usually well below the national average, and we have a shortage of workers. Combine that with a relatively low cost of living and you have an attractive place to begin a new life in the United States.

We want our new neighbors to become an integral part of our community, and a big part of that is the ability to get a driver’s license. We had heard from many groups around the state that some new Americans were having trouble with the written driver’s test in English. So, last year the legislature passed a law allowing the Commissioner of the Department of Public Safety to provide written materials such as applications, forms, letters, notices, or any documents necessary in a language other than English, if the commissioner determines that a substantial number of non-English speaking people use the services at a particular driver’s license office.

This past August, Jihan Brifiki, a Moorhead Kurdish community leader, reached out to me to see if we could get tests in the Kurmanji and Sorani dialects in the Moorhead office. I was able to put her in touch with the appropriate individual at the state level and within one month we had the tests available at the Moorhead office.

We want the drivers on our roads to be safe and qualified as they go about their lives, and drivers can prove this by taking and passing the tests necessary to get their licenses. Making it easier for all Minnesotans to take these tests by providing language services will help meet the needs of our diverse community. I hope that other states will follow Minnesota’s lead and make tests available to different communities in their states.

Senator Rob Kupec Minnesota State Senator.