Wisconsin Committee Hears Public Testimony on Official English Bills

U.S. English, Inc. joins others in supporting A.B. 289 and A.B. 806

The Wisconsin House Committee on Jobs and the Economy today took public testimony on two measures that would make English the official language of the state - Assembly Bill 289 and Assembly Bill 806.

In addition to making English the official language of Wisconsin, A.B. 289 would require Wisconsin government agencies to print all written documents in English, except where provided by existing law or in the implementation of specific programs. A.B. 806 is identical to A.B. 289, except that it would also require government agencies to record expenditures for printing documents in languages other than English.

Both bills are co-sponsored by many members of the Assembly and enjoy strong public support. A December 2007 survey by Rasmussen Reports found that 79 percent of Wisconsin residents support making English the official language. The poll of 500 likely voters has a margin of error of +/- 4.5 percentage points.

“I want to thank the representatives in the Assembly for their efforts to unite all Wisconsin residents under the common language of English,” said Mauro E. Mujica, Chairman of U.S. English, Inc. “By presenting these bills for public testimony, the members of the committee took the first step in answering the call of the four-fifths of Wisconsin voters who want the government to adopt an official language policy.”

To date, 30 states have made English their official language, including 3 states in the last 18 months. Besides Wisconsin, legislation is pending in 10 states that have yet to adopt official English laws – Delaware, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Washington, and West Virginia.