WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. English, Inc., the nation's oldest and largest non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the unifying role of the English language in the United States, today announced its support for H.R. 997, the English Language Unity Act of 2005. Introduced by Rep. Steve King (R-IA) and 57 additional members of Congress, the bill would make English the official language of the United States government.
"We congratulate Rep. King and his colleagues in Congress for their efforts on behalf of our common language,” said Mauro E. Mujica, Chairman of U.S. English, Inc. “With 322 languages spoken in our nation of immigrants, it is time to recognize the bonds that unite us as Americans. Over the last 200 years, our nation has grown, our technology has improved, and our people have been diverse, but the one constant has been the unifying factor of the English language.
“More than 92 percent of the nations in the world have an official language policy to facilitate communication and assist assimilation. Yet the United States clings to a costly and divisive system of providing services in multiple languages, including Social Security information in 16 languages and ballots in 28 languages. By doing so, we have taken away some of the incentive for immigrants to learn English, and for English language learning assistance.”
Recognizing that English proficiency is necessary for integration into the American mainstream, The English Language Unity Act of 2005 would require the United States government to conduct 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 justice systems.
H.R. 997 looks to build on the success of a similar measure in the 108th Congress (also H.R. 997), that received the support of 109 members. This legislation is also comparable to the “Bill Emerson English Language Empowerment Act of 1996,” which passed the House by a bi-partisan vote of 259-169 that year.
“As an immigrant, I understand the importance of English proficiency in the United States,” continued Mujica. “Without English, newcomers struggle to succeed economically, educationally, and are slower to see themselves as part of the American family. It is easy to understand why 82 percent of the population, including a high percentage of immigrants, want to make English the official language of the United States. We will work enthusiastically with Rep. King toward a common language policy for 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. (www.usenglish.org) now has more than 1.8 million members.
Contact
Rob Toonkel
rtoonkel@usenglish.org
(202) 833-0100