[EDLING:1048] English Official Language in PA?

[David Cassels Johnson]

The PA legislature is considering making English the official language of the 
commonwealth of Pennsylvania (house bill 2089). The bill has recently 
been "tabled" but will presumably come up again. You can find the bill at 
http://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/BI/ALL/2005/0/HB2089.HTM

or read it at

http://www2.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/BI/BT/2005/0/HB2089P2879.pdf

Regan Cooper, the Executive Director of Pennsylvania Immigration and 
Citizenship Coalition Advocating for Immigrants, Migrants and Refugees, notes 
that "this is not over, the bill has just been tabled for now.  We need to 
keep finding more organizations and individuals who can call, write, fax and 
visit these legislators to make sure we continue to block this legislation. 
Please share the information with your contacts." 

The ACLU has submitted a memorandum to the house state government committee. I 
wonder if those of us who live in PA could do the same, as linguists, 
educational linguists, English teachers, language teachers, or something else? 
The bill does make reference to education (Section 2, (8); Section 8, (3,4)) 
Check it out... 

I am attaching the message from Regan Cooper below...

David

-- 
David Cassels Johnson
PhD Candidate, Educational Linguistics
Language in Education Division
Graduate School of Education
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA 19104



Yesterday, the House State Government Committee voted to table House Bill 
>2089 (the legislation that would make English the official language in 
>Pennsylvania). The vote was 14-10.  Four Republicans joined with 10 
>Democrats in voting for the motion to table.
>
>Here are the legislators who voted “yes” on the motion to table:
>Republicans:  DiGirolamo, Grell, Steil and Watson
>Democrats:  Josephs, Bishop, Blackwell, Cohen, Curry, Freeman, Shapiro, 
>Thomas, Vitali, and Youngblood.
>
>The list of Committee Members is again included below.  Please call the 
>above legislators, especially the Republicans, to thank them for their vote 
>to table HB 2089.
>
>This is not over, the bill has just been tabled for now.  We need to keep 
>finding more organizations and individuals who can call, write, fax and 
>visit these legislators to make sure we continue to block this legislation. 
>  Please share the information with your contacts.  I have also attached a 
>copy of the ACLU memo to the committee for your reference.
>
>Best,
>
>Regan Cooper Executive Director Pennsylvania Immigration and Citizenship 
>CoalitionAdvocating for Immigrants, Migrants and Refugees PICC2100 Arch 
>Street, 7th FloorPhiladelphia, PA 19103Phone: (215) 832-0809Fax: (215) 
>832-0919
>
>
>Members of the PA House State Government Committee
>
>
>
>Republicans                                        Phone                    
>        Fax
>
>The Honorable Paul Clymer                   717-783-3154                
>717-705-1854          Chair
>
>The Honorable Scott Boyd                     717-783-6422                
>717-787-7731
>
>The Honorable Gene DiGirolamo            717-783-7319                
>717-772-2414
>
>The Honorable William Gabig                 717-772-2280                
>717-705-2012
>
>The Honorable Mauree Gingrich            717-783-1815                
>717-705-2569
>
>The Honorable Glenn Grell                     717-783-2063                
>717-705-1942
>
>The Honorable David Hickernell            717-783-2076                
>717-705-1946
>
>The Honorable Scott Hutchinson            717-783-8188                
>717-787-0860
>
>The Honorable Tom Killion                    717-772-0855                
>717-772-9856
>
>The Honorable Daryl Metcalfe               717-783-7107                
>717-787-4771
>
>The Honorable David Millard                 717-783-1102                
>717-772-0094
>
>The Honorable Kathy Rapp                   717-787-1367                
>717-787-5854
>
>The Honorable Dave Reed                    717-705-7173                
>717-705-1947
>
>The Honorable Larry Sather                  717-787-3335                
>717-705-1802
>
>The Honorable David Steil                     717-772-5396                
>717-787-7529
>
>The Honorable Katherine Watson          717-787-5452                
>717-783-8934
>
>
>
>Democrats
>
>The Honorable Babette Josephs             717-787-8529                
>717-787-5066         Chair
>
>The Honorable Louise Bishop                717-783-2192                
>717-787-2960
>
>The Honorable Thomas Blackwell          717-783-1491                
>717-787-0861
>
>The Honorable Mark Cohen                   717-787-4117                
>717-787-6650
>
>The Honorable Lawrence Curry             717-783-1079                
>717-787-2713
>
>The Honorable Florindo Fabrizio             717-787-4358                
>717-705-7000
>
>The Honorable Robert Freeman             717-783-3815                
>717-783-2152
>
>The Honorable Sean Ramaley                717-787-4444                
>717-787-0861
>
>The Honorable Joshua Shapiro               717-783-7619                
>717-772-2284
>
>The Honorable Curtis Thomas                717-787-9471                
>717-787-7297
>
>The Honorable Gregory Vitali                717-787-7647                
>717-705-2089
>
>The Honorable Rosita Youngblood         717-787-7727                
>717-772-1313
>
>
>
>Speaker of the House, the Honorable John Perzel.  Phone: 717-787-2016.  
>Fax: 717-783-7225
>
>
>
>Majority Leader, the Honorable Samuel Smith. Phone: 717-787-3845 Fax: 
>717-787-6564.