Iowa Becomes 27th State With Official English Law

U.S. ENGLISH Says Law is a Victory for All Hawkeyes

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. ENGLISH Chairman and CEO Mauro E. Mujica today hailed Gov. Tom Vilsack's (D) decision to sign into law English as Iowa's official language "a victory for all Hawkeyes." Iowa is the 27th state to enact official English legislation.

"I congratulate Gov. Vilsack for doing the right thing for the people of Iowa," said Mujica. "Rather than pandering to ethnic special interests that relentlessly disparaged official English legislation and proponents of it, the Governor stood tall and saw the divisive rhetoric of a vocal minority for what it was: exaggerations and lies.

"Iowa's official English law is good for every Iowan, but most especially for Iowa's immigrants," said Mujica. "As an immigrant myself, I would never have supported the legislation if it were harmful to newcomers in any way."

The Iowa English Language Reaffirmation Act contains many common sense exceptions and will save taxpayers money, encourage immigrants to learn English and allow all Iowans to communicate with each other.

U.S. ENGLISH has worked closely over the last few years with Sen. Steve King, whose bill, Senate File 165, was enacted into law last Friday. U.S. ENGLISH, in fact, has been the driving force behind the enactment of official English legislation in states around the country since its founding in 1983 by the late Sen. S.I. Hayakawa of California, a noted semanticist and an immigrant of Japanese descent.

"Gov. Vilsack, like the Iowa Legislature and the majority of Iowans who supported official English legislation in poll after poll, understands the importance of English as our common language," said Mujica. "We are pleased Gov. Vilsack chose to reject the false claims of a few self-appointed immigrant leaders."

Mujica again reiterated the fact that Iowa's official English law will not prevent anyone from speaking languages other than English nor will it take away a person's heritage or culture by encouraging him or her to learn the state's common language; it simply mandates the state government to conduct its business in English.

In addition, Mujica said that Iowans should fully expect a continued increase in its immigrant population. "Immigration to our great country is at an all time high," said Mujica. "Contrary to what a few shrill critics would have you believe, official English laws actually have a positive impact on a state's immigration. According to Census 2000 data, for example, California, Florida and Hawaii, all states with official English laws, are home to more than 10.4 percent of the foreign-born population than the national average."

"Gov. Vilsack's leadership sends a signal to the rest of the nation," said Mujica. "While some politicians will continue to play games by courting minority groups, those who choose to vote in favor of unity will remain victorious.

"With more than half the country enacting official English laws, we are hopeful that the remaining 23 states will follow Iowa's lead and empower each of its citizens with a common language," said Mujica. "We vow to continue our work in these states until we accomplish just that."

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.