Official English Support Passes Exclusive Milestone

109 Members of Congress now on board H.R. 997

With the addition of Rep. Ed Royce [R-CA] to a list of bi-partisan allies of official English, H.R. 997, the English Language Unity Act, now has the support of one-quarter of the House of Representatives. The addition of the 108th co-sponsor to the legislation introduced by Rep. Steve King [R-IA] ranks the bill among the most widely supported measures in the 108th Congress.

"We are pleased to count Congressman Royce among those who believe that a common language binds our diverse people," said Mauro E. Mujica, chairman of U.S. English, Inc. "By representing a district home to more than 120,000 limited English proficient residents, Rep. Royce understands the need to ensure English proficiency for all Americans."

English proficiency has long been established as the dividing line between opportunity and a daily struggle. The Educational Testing Service found that in 1999, the average employed immigrant who spoke English very well earned $40,741, nearly two and one-half times the amount earned by immigrants who did not speak English at all. Rep. Royce's support of H.R. 997 brings to 28 the number of co-sponsors who represent more than 30,000 limited English proficient individuals in their districts.

The support for official English is at its highest level since the 106th Congress, when 138 members were co-sponsors of the Bill Emerson English Language Empowerment Act of 1999 (H.R. 123). The record for most co-sponsors of common language legislation is 197, achieved by H.R. 123 in 1995. This measure was passed by the House by a vote of 259-169 in 1996, but was not acted upon by the Senate.

"Members of Congress have heard the call of the 82 percent of Americans who want to see English enacted as the official language of the United States," said Mujica. "The time has come for the leadership to pick up the ball. We will continue to work closely with Rep. King and our supporters to bring this bill to the floor. " Since 1981, 568 members from all 50 states have sponsored, co-sponsored or voted for official English measures in the United States Congress.

## 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.