Colorado Legislature Tells Congress, “Pass Official English”

Resolution sails through Rocky Mountain State House, Senate

A resolution that calls upon the federal government to pass legislation affirming the common thread of English was enacted by both chambers of the Colorado legislature. Introduced by Rep. Jim Welker, House Joint Resolution 1022 calls upon federal legislators support H.R. 997, the English Language Unity Act, a bill now pending in the U.S. House of Representatives.

H.J. Res. 1022 passed the House, 39-26 on May 3 and the Senate, 21-14 on May 5. The measure does not need approval by Colorado Gov. Bill Owens.

“Rep. Welker and his colleagues in the Colorado legislature deserve applause for their effort to pass H.R. 997,” said U.S. English Chairman Mauro E. Mujica. “They are sending a strong message to Washington on behalf of the people of Colorado. The Congress should heed their call to keep America moving forward under one common language.”

The English Language Unity Act would require the United States government to conduct official business in English. Specifically, H.R. 997 would make it so that "all laws, public proceedings, regulations, publications, orders, actions, programs and policies" are conducted in the English language. Numerous common sense exceptions are included in the legislation to protect the well-being of all Americans, including public safety, national security, and commerce. More than half of the U.S. states have adopted English as their official language, including Colorado in 1988.

“The unifying and beneficial nature of English has long been prized by Coloradans,” explained Mujica. “When Colorado became a state in 1876, one-in-five residents was foreign born. However, instead of letting differences strike a wedge between groups, Colorado continued the pattern of being one united state. Today, more than 130 languages are spoken in Colorado. Yet it still stands strong as a single state united under one common language.”

As per the requirements of the resolution, copies of the approved measure have been sent to President Bush, the leadership of the U.S. House and Senate and Colorado’s nine member Congressional delegation. At the current time, H.R. 997 has 104 co-sponsors and is pending in House Committee.

U.S. English, Inc. is the nation's oldest and largest non-partisan citizens' action group dedicated to preserving the unifying role of the English language in the United States. Founded in 1983 by the late Sen. S.I. Hayakawa of California, U.S. English, Inc. (www.usenglish.org) now has more than 1.8 million members.