A bill that would have allowed South Dakotans to take a written driver's license test in Spanish was defeated today 9 to 4 in Pierre.

English will continue to be the one and only language for the South Dakota driver's license written test. This bill was all to allow non-English speakers to safely and legally drive to work.

"I am very disappointed that the bill didn't pass today. I really had my hopes up we made it pretty far," Supporter of Senate Bill 117, Alex Ramirez said.

State representatives have rejected a bill that would have allowed driver’s license tests be taken in Spanish. Senator Reynold Nesiba said the main concern was that people should learn English first.

"For me this was a common sense bill it enhanced public safety, it was good for business, it was good for my constituents and we need to figure out a way to have the Department of Public Safety do this," South Dakota Senator Reynold Nesiba said.

He tells KSFY News that it would have helped address a workforce development issue around the state.

"That was good for workforce development, it encourages people to be self-sufficient, it helped them be able to get away from the public use of public services and it enhanced freedom for themselves and their family," Senator Nesiba said.

Alex Ramirez testified in Pierre. He said he had a friend who couldn't pass the test causing him to leave the state for good.

"This is definitely a workforce issue we need workers to come here and work. There's a lot of documented people coming here they're immigrants they're coming here to work they want to do it the right way," Ramirez said.

"We have jobs that need filling and we know that's going to draw people from often times outside of our community and many of those people are going to be new Americans,” Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce President and CEO, Jason Ball said. “So again anything that we can be doing to tear down barriers that keep those people from having reliable transportation to and from those jobs in a safe and reasonable way."

Speaker of the House Steven Haugaard is opposed to this bill. He spoke today in Pierre and said he has great respect for immigrants. He doesn't agree that this is a workforce issue.

"The idea that we're going to dilute our population with a second culture and encourage that second culture it doesn't advance our state at all," Speaker of the House, Steven Haugaard said.

"I think this is America this is a place where all kinds of cultures live and share and if anything this would make those people who come here understand our culture," Ramirez said.

Senator Nesiba said adding a Spanish-language paper test would cost the Department of Public Safety an estimated $16,000.

Senator Nesiba tells KSFY News that he will continue to sponsor this bill in other sessions until it's passed.