News & Media

New Year Brings New Push for Official English Measures

Legislation filed in Virginia and South Carolina continues trend from 2007

Legislation to strengthen official English laws has been filed in both Virginia and South Carolina, indicating the growing demand for common language legislation across the United States. These bills join existing measures that will carry over from the 2007 legislative session in eight states and increase the likelihood that several states will join the growing number that have made English their official language.

In Virginia, Del. Scott Lingamfelter has filed H.R. 55, a measure that would expand existing law and curtail multilingualism on most documents provided by the state. In South Carolina, Senate President Glenn McConnell has filed S. 857, legislation that would add to the state's existing official English law by reducing multilingual services, publications and licensing examinations. Both measures contain numerous exceptions for federal law, emergency services, and public health and safety.

"Despite the increased emphasis on official English in the 2007 legislative sessions, many Americans felt that their representatives did not do enough to emphasize English acquisition and reduce government multilingualism," said Mauro E. Mujica, Chairman of U.S. English. "I want to acknowledge Del. Lingamfelter and Sen. McConnell for coming back to work and being responsive to their constituents desires and to the needs of all Americans. This type of forward thinking is required if we are to solve the growing problem of limited English proficiency."

During 2007, official English measures were introduced in 23 states, the most in more than a decade. The bills in Kansas and Idaho were passed through both the House and Senate and signed into law, while the measure in Missouri was approved by both the House and the Senate and will appear on the 2008 election ballot. In Nevada, the official English bill was passed by the Senate, but not considered by the House before the session ended. To date, 30 states have adopted official English laws, and federal legislation remains pending in both the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate.

"Efforts to debate immigration have succeeded emphasizing our greatest shortcoming — losing the handle on assimilation," added Mujica. "To keep the American dream alive, we must make sure that immigrants are on the road to learning English and reduce the divisive and inhibiting crutch of government multilingualism. I look forward to working with Del. Lingamfelter, Sen. McConnell, and other interested legislators to uphold the uniting bond of English."

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.