One-Quarter of U.S. House Now Co-Sponsors of English Language Unity Act

Official English bill has more than 100 co-sponsors for ninth time in last ten Congresses

With the addition of three new co-sponsors last week, H.R. 997, the English Language Unity Act, now has the support of more than one-quarter of the 435 member House of Representatives. The bill to make English the official language of the United States has now collected 109 bi-partisan co-sponsors from 35 states since being introduced by Rep. Steve King on Feb. 11, 2009. 

The English Language Unity Act would require the United States government to conduct most official business in English. Specifically, H.R. 997 would limit routine government operations to English, while giving government agencies common sense flexibility to protect public health and safety, national security, and to provide for the needs of commerce and criminal justice systems. Currently, H.R. 997 is pending in the House Education and Labor Committee and the House Judiciary Committee. 

The high rate of support for H.R. 997 marks the ninth time in the last ten Congresses that an official English bill received co-sponsorships from more than 100 representatives. In the 110th Congress, similar legislation to make English the official language notched 153 co-sponsors over two years. That bill was also known as H.R. 997, as were widely supported official English measures in the 109th (164 co-sponsors) and 108th (108 co-sponsors) Congresses. Earlier, the bill had been introduced as H.R. 123, where it received 139, 162, 197, 166 and 138 co-sponsors from the 102nd through 106th Congresses, respectively. 

Official English legislation was passed by the House in the 104th Congress by a vote of 259-169, however the Senate did not act upon the bill before the session concluded. More recently, the Senate approved amendments would have made English the national language of the United States in both 2006 and 2007. Though the amendments passed by margins of 62-35 and 64-33, the measures to which those amendments were attached were never brought up for final approval. 

“The members of the 111th Congress have been among the quickest to step up to the plate and support making English the official language of the United States,” said Mauro E. Mujica, Chairman of the Board of U.S. English, Inc. “With more than four-fifths of the American population in support of this proposal, we hope many more will follow through in promoting the unifying bond of our diverse nation. I look forward to working with Rep. King and the 109 co-sponsors to increase support for this bill and increase English fluency in the United States.”