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"We are pleased and not surprised by recent poll results showing the overwhelming support of Idahoans wanting English as the state's official language," said U.S.ENGLISH Chairman and CEO Mauro E. Mujica. "Idahoans strongly mirror the opinions of Americans across the country. A national poll conducted by U.S. ENGLISH in February showed that 84 percent of Americans believe English should be our country's official language.

"Official English legislation is a critical component of the state's future economic health especially when considering that one out of 20 Idahoans, or five percent of the state's total population, is an immigrant," said Mujica. "What I don't understand is why lawmakers remain ambivalent about something that is so obviously needed, and wanted."

Like most states around the nation, Idaho continues to experience a profound growth in its immigrant population. U.S. Census Bureau data between the years of 1990 and 2000, for example, show that Idaho's Hispanic population increased 49.5 percent, and its Asian population by 9.6 percent.

"It's time state legislators listen to the people of Idaho who have said very clearly they want an official English law," said Mujica. "We were hopeful earlier this year when official English legislation was introduced in the state Senate, but were dismayed when self-appointed leaders of select immigrant groups put pressure on key decision makers by opposing this common sense measure."

In February, Sen. Sheila Sorensen (R-13), Senate State Affairs Committee Chair, introduced S. 1469, which would have made English the official language of Idaho. Recognizing that fluency in English is necessary for full integration into the American culture, the legislation would have required Idaho's government to conduct official business in English.

Specifically, S. 1469 mandated that "all official documents, rules, orders, transactions, proceedings, programs, meetings, publications or actions taken or issued, which are conducted or regulated by, on behalf of, or representing the state and all of its political subdivisions shall be in English." Many common sense exceptions were included in the bill to protect the well-being of all Idahoans, including public health and safety information, law enforcement, tourism, and foreign language instruction.

"Sen. Sorenson's bill did not prevent anyone from speaking languages other than English nor did it take away a person's heritage or culture by encouraging him or her to learn our common language," said Mujica. "The legislation simply mandated the state to conduct its business in English, which is advantageous on several levels. An official English law would encourage newcomers to learn the language of this land and save taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars that would otherwise be spent on translating government materials into a multitude of foreign languages."

While 97 percent of the American population speaks English, there are still 104 languages other than English spoken in Idaho today. State residents, in fact, can take their driver's license exam in six different languages, including Arabic, Serbo-Croatian, Spanish, Russian, Vietnamese, and English.

"Declaring English as the official language of Idaho is not about exclusion or bigotry," explained Mujica. "We're not trying to yank the welcome mat from under the feet of immigrants or to deny them their heritage.

"On the contrary, I myself emigrated to the U.S. from Chile and know first-hand the obstacles awaiting newcomers and the connection between understanding English and achieving the American dream," said Mujica. "I respect the courage of immigrants who leave their homes and all they have known to come to the United States to build better lives. I would never support legislation that would in any way impede upon a legal immigrant's ability to succeed in this great country."

Mujica cautions state legislators, however, about the many implications of a multilingual government. "Can Idaho state officials really afford to communicate to their residents in more than 100 languages? Is that really in Idaho's, not to mention an immigrant's, best interest? Our many years of study and experience tell us quite another story.

"It is our hope that Idaho will learn from the success of the other 27 states that today have official English laws," said Mujica. "As a proud nation of immigrants, it has been our shared tongue, English, that has joined us as one people. For the sake of Idaho's present and especially for its future, we hope state legislators enact official English legislation sooner rather than later."

Moore Information, a public opinion research firm based in Portland, Oregon, conducted the statewide telephone survey of 500 adults from May 7 to May 9, 2002, using a random digit dial sample. The survey's results have an overall margin of sampling error of plus or minus 4.0 percentage points.

U.S.ENGLISH is the nation's oldest and largest 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 now has more than 1.5 million members nationwide, and some 9,300 in the state of Idaho.