[lg policy] Oklahoma Senator Reintroduces the English Language Unity Act

[Harold Schiffman]

Oklahoma Senator Reintroduces the English Language Unity Act
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[image: 453396333]
<http://languagemagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/453396333.jpg>This
week, Senator Jim Inhofe, a Republican from Oklahoma, reintroduced the
English Language Unity Act. The legislation would mandate that the federal
government use the English language when conducting all official functions
and proceedings, including naturalization exams and ceremonies. The English
Language Unity Act was originally proposed in 2005, but Senator Inhofe
first introduced the Act in 2011.

Supporters of the legislation argue that the government should not bear the
responsibility of guaranteeing that non-English-speaking individuals can
participate in government solely using their mother language, and that the
costs of translation and language services are large and
unnecessary. Inhofe says, “The United States’ culturally diverse population
is what makes our nation great, and what helps us move forward together as
a society is the ability to communicate to one another. The English
Language Unity Act declares English as the official language of the United
States and will help set legal immigrants on a path to success as they
integrate and work towards becoming citizens. As a nation built by
immigrants, this legislation will strengthen the cords of unity that comes
from sharing one vision and one official language.”

However, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) believes that
English-only laws violate the US Constitution’s protection of due process
and equal protection. In courts, no translation services would be offered
and English-only voting ballots would replace the currently available
bilingual options. Past efforts at English-only laws only abridged the
rights of non-English speakers. In Dade County, Florida, in 1980, an
English-only law meant that Spanish translations on road signs and public
transportation were removed, making life harder for a large non-English
speaking population.

In almost every session of Congress, an unsuccessful amendment is proposed
to adopt English as the official language of the US. While the English
Language Unity Act boasts the country’s diversity and takes pride in the
cultural unity that languages provide, it overlooks bilingual education and
undermines the rights of the non-English-speaking population in America.

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