Sen. Inhofe Leads National Language Effort in Senate
14 Senators join as co-sponsors of new measure
May 6, 2009
Sen. James Inhofe introduced the first official English bill in this session of the Senate today, adding to the nationwide push to unite all Americans under the common language of English. Joining Sen. Inhofe in the introduction of the National Language Act of 2009 were Senators Alexander, Isakson, Chambliss, Burr, Shelby, Vitter, Bunning, Coburn, Wicker, DeMint, Enzi, Thune, Corker and Cochran.
S. 992 contains similar provisions to those passed by the Senate twice in the last three years, making English the national language and clarifying government policy on the provision of multilingual documents. Like the prior Senate measures, the bill declares that there is no affirmative right to receive government services in languages other than English, except where required by federal law. When brought up for a vote in 2006 and 2007, the amendments to Senate immigration bills passed by margins of 62-35 and 64-33, respectively.
“The Congressional debates of 2006 and 2007 demonstrated that while there is much to be worked out on the subject of immigration, the majority of Senators strongly support the idea of assimilation by promoting English as our national language,” said Mauro E. Mujica, Chairman of the Board of U.S. English, Inc. “From coast to coast, there is a momentum to recognize English as the unifying bond of all Americans and I look forward to working with Sen. Inhofe and his colleagues on this important bill.”
Sen. Inhofe’s bill was introduced the same day as the Oklahoma House approved legislation to make English the official language of the state. That measure, already passed by the Oklahoma Senate, will be on the general election ballot in Nov. 2010. According to a recent SoonerPoll.com survey, 86 percent of Oklahomans support official English legislation. Similar polls on the national level have found that more than four-fifths of Americans support making English the official language of the United States.
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. () now has more than 2 million members.
