U.S. English Inc. State Legislative UpdateOklahoma, six other states already have official English legislation introducedJanuary 16, 2009
In Oklahoma, supporters of official English have announced plans to introduce new legislation to make English the official language of the state when the legislature convenes in February. Last year, similar legislation passed in the House of Representatives, 70-28, but was not considered in the Senate before the end of the session. If the Senate had passed the bill, it would have been presented to the voters on the November ballot. Recent statewide polls have shown that more than three-quarters of Oklahomans favor passage of the bill. Oklahoma is one of seven states with an official English bill currently pending in the legislature. The others include: In South Carolina, Senate President Glenn McConnell has introduced S. 3 to strengthen the state’s official English law. In 2008, a similar measure was passed by the Senate, but not considered by the House. In Nevada, Assemblyman Lynn Stewart has introduced A.B. 70, legislation to make English the official language of the state. Similar legislation was passed overwhelmingly by the Senate during the last session of the Nevada legislature, but was not considered by the House. In Indiana, three Hoosier state representatives have introduced H.B. 1366, legislation to strengthen the state’s official English law. In Texas, Rep. Leo Berman has introduced H.B. 370 to make English the official language of the state. A 2006 poll found that three-quarters of Texas likely voters support official English legislation in the Lone Star State. In Mississippi, Rep. John Moore is once again leading the effort to strengthen Mississippi’s official English law. H.B. 546 was introduced in the Mississippi House of Representatives this month. In New Jersey, Rep. John Rooney’s bill to make English the official language of the state has carried over from the 2008 legislative session. On a related note, legislation has been introduced in New York to reduce government multilingualism and improve driver safety. Assembly Bill 1167 would eliminate the provision of driver’s license exams in languages other than English, ending the Empire State’s practice of offering the exam in more than a dozen languages. In Oklahoma, supporters of official English have announced plans to introduce new legislation to make English the official language of the state when the legislature convenes in February. Last year, similar legislation passed in the House of Representatives, 70-28, but was not considered in the Senate before the end of the session. If the Senate had passed the bill, it would have been presented to the voters on the November ballot. Recent statewide polls have shown that more than three-quarters of Oklahomans favor passage of the bill. |
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