Iowa: Rep. King drives U.S. charge for English as official language

[Harold F. Schiffman]

Published February 17, 2007


King drives U.S. charge for English as official language

At the state level, the lawmaker is behind a lawsuit alleging breaches of
Iowa's version of the law.

By JANE NORMAN
REGISTER WASHINGTON BUREAU

    "Language is the bonding agent. It's the glue that holds us together."

U.S. Rep. Steve King, a Republican lawmaker from western Iowa, is
spearheading a push to make English the official language of the United
States. As a state lawmaker, he wrote Iowa's law making English the
official language.

Washington, D.C. - A drive to make English the nation's official language
once again has kicked off in Congress, spearheaded by Republican Rep.
Steve King of Iowa. At the same time, King is the lead plaintiff in a
lawsuit over Iowa's English-language law that could ultimately wind up in
the state's Supreme Court. The suit has drawn the involvement of U.S.
English Inc., a national group that advocates English-language laws,
claims a membership of 1.8 million, and will underwrite the legal fees.
King said in an interview that he will continue to pursue the
English-language issue in a double-barrelled strategy on both the state
and federal levels, although a similar bill he pushed in the
Republican-controlled Congress never came to a vote despite 165
co-sponsors.

"I'm seeing things that go on across this country that undermine our
cultural continuity," said King, an outspoken western Iowa conservative
who recently gained new clout when he was named the top Republican on a
key immigration subcommittee. "We need to recognize, in spite of all of
the different subcultures that are part of Americana itself, there is a
greater overall umbrella of American culture that ties us together, and
that's what I call cultural continuity," he said. "Language is the bonding
agent. It's the glue that holds us together." The English-language bill
draws intense opposition from groups that advocate on behalf of
immigrants, who contend that English is not under attack and that a law is
unneeded. What's necessary, they say, is more federal support for
overcrowded adult education classes teaching English to immigrants.

Raul Gonzalez, legislative director of the National Council of La Raza, at
a hearing last year labeled King's bill as "counterproductive and
extremist." Gonzalez said that English already is the language of
government and that today's immigrants learn English as quickly as
previous groups, although not enough opportunities are available. Sen.
Charles Grassley, R-Ia., has expressed hesitation about an
English-language law. Grassley voted for an amendment to an immigration
bill in 2006 that would have made English the "national" language, but he
said last week that was different from King's official-English
legislation.

"I do not oppose the sincere efforts that it's trying to accomplish," said
Grassley, because "the Balkanization of society is bad." But "I've learned
that sort of thing sends a signal that maybe we don't welcome new people,
we don't appreciate other cultures, and things to that nature, and I think
we have to be a welcoming nation." King last week introduced the English
Language Unity Act of 2007, which would require the U.S. government to
conduct business in English, with exceptions. It has 34 co-sponsors. The
exceptions include the teaching of languages, requirements under the
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, actions necessary for
national security, trade, foreign policy and tourism, census activities
and protection of the rights of crime victims or defendants.

King acknowledged he has an uphill fight this year with Democrats in
control of Congress, but he said he expects bipartisan support and the
potential to attach the bill to other legislation as an amendment. Eric
Gutierrez, an attorney in Washington for the Mexican American Legal
Defense Fund, which opposes the bill, said supporters of such laws fail to
understand how intensely many immigrants want to learn English, leading to
a two-year backlog for classes in some cities. Yet King's bill provides no
money for more English education, he said. "Our sentiment is that this is
really a piecemeal attempt at comprehensive immigration reform," he said.

In Iowa, one of 27 states with an English law, King is the lead plaintiff
in a pending suit filed in Polk County District Court against Gov. Chet
Culver and Secretary of State Michael Mauro. King, who wrote the law when
he was a state senator, says that Culver, as secretary of state, violated
the law by providing voter registration forms in Spanish, Vietnamese,
Laotian and Bosnian, and that Mauro continues to do so. Culver says he had
the authority to offer the ballots under a section of the law that allows
any language usage necessary to secure constitutional rights. Aides to
Attorney General Tom Miller said a formal response to the suit will be
filed next week.

Plaintiffs besides King include state lawmakers, county auditors and Ngu
Alons, 36, of Sioux City, who came to the United States from Cambodia as a
child and learned English in school. "We never even considered the notion
that America should accommodate us by learning our native language," Alons
said. "It was simply common sense and respect that we learn the language
of our new country." But Miller has said that Culver was correct and that
the English law says that an officer of state government cannot be
prohibited from communicating in a language other than English if deemed
necessary. Miller said "use of other languages can facilitate exercising
the constitutional right to vote." Culver recently said he favors getting
rid of the law entirely.

Tim Schultz, director of governmental affairs for U.S. English, said the
organization decided to join King because it believes public officials in
Iowa have "flagrantly" ignored the law. "I think nationally that's a bit
of a first," said Schultz. King said he is ready to go all the way to the
Iowa Supreme Court to prove his point, and he dismissed speculation that
an Iowa Legislature now controlled by Democrats might repeal the law. "I
think they will be called home if they do so," he said.

http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070217/NEWS09/702170347/1001/LIFE03

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