English Language Unity Act of 2007 Notches 100th Co-Sponsor

H.R. 997 among most widely endorsed in House

With the addition of 11 more co-sponsors in April, H.R. 997, the English Language Unity Act of 2007, has become one of the few bills in the 110th Congress to have co-sponsorships from 100 or more members. Introduced by Rep. Steve King (IA), this bi-partisan legislation would make English the official language of the United States government.

“Members of Congress are heeding the call of their constituents to focus on issues that unite us instead of divide us,” said Mauro E. Mujica, Chairman of the Board of U.S. English, Inc. “Making English our official language is an idea that is both overwhelmingly popular and will help bridge the partisan divide. I hope that our Congressional leaders will recognize the importance of this issue and bring H.R. 997 up for a much deserved vote on the floor.”

With 100 co-sponsors from 35 states, H.R. 997 is once again among the 100 most widely supported House bills this Congress. Though the 110th Congress has been in session for only four months, H.R. 997 is already ahead of the pace set by official English legislation in the 109th Congress (also H.R. 997), which collected 164 co-sponsors over two years. In the 110th Congress, H.R. 997 is currently pending in the House Committee on the Judiciary as well as the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.

Official English measures have long been popular with the public and those elected to serve in Congress. For nearly a generation, polls have found support for making English the official language among four-fifths of the population, including a 2006 Rasmussen poll which pegged the rate at 85 percent. Since 1981, more than 575 Members of Congress representing all 50 states have sponsored, co-sponsored or voted for official English measures a total of more than 2,600 times.

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.