English Language Unity Act Receives Support from 100th Member of Congress

[Harold Schiffman]

English Language Unity Act Receives Support from 100th Member of Congress
H.R. 997 Garners Tremendous Support in First Month Following Introduction

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Less than a month after being introduced
in the 111th Congress, H.R. 997, legislation to make English the
official language of the United States, picked up its 100th co-sponsor
this afternoon. The support of North Carolina Representative Mike
McIntyre gave the measure 100 bi-partisan co-sponsors from 35 states
and marked the earliest an official English bill has reached the 100
co-sponsor mark this decade.

“Making English the official language is an idea that remains widely
supported by a large majority of the American people,” said Mauro E.
Mujica, Chairman of the Board of U.S. English. “A focus on English
learning and assimilation is not reserved for good economic times or
bad economic times, for a Democrat-controlled Congress or
Republican-controlled Congress. It is a full-time societal expectation
that government will encourage English learning by doing the majority
of business in English.”

H.R. 997, the English Language Unity Act, was introduced Feb. 12 by
Representative Steve King of Iowa and 58 original co-sponsors. The
bill would require the United States government to conduct most
official business in English. Specifically, H.R. 997 would require
routine government operations to be conducted in 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 criminal justice systems.

Bills to make English the official language garnered more than 150
co-sponsors in both the 109th and 110th Congresses, and the Senate
passed amendments to make English the national language of the U.S. in
both 2006 and 2007. However, the overall measures these amendments
were attached to did not pass before the end of session.

“I want to applaud Congressman King and his 100 colleagues in Congress
for once again answering the call of the people by supporting official
English legislation,” added Mujica. “I expect that leadership will
take note of this strong showing and include official English measures
in any discussion of immigration and assimilation policy.”


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