“Most immigrants want to learn English, Congressman Steve Stockman said about his newly introduced bill, H.R. 5473 . “Conducting all official government business in English, while leaving people free to conduct private business however they wish, ensures we stay a united and strong country.”
Rep. Stockman introduced H.R. 5473, the James Boulet National Language Act of 2014, which would make English the official language of the United States, require that all official U.S. government functions be conducted in English, and require the U.S. government to preserve and enhance the role of English as the official language of the United States.
The bill would also amend the Voting Rights Act of 1965, repealing section 203, which calls for bilingual ballots, as well as amending Section 337 of the Immigration and Nationality Act to ensure that all public naturalization ceremonies in which the oath of allegiance is administered, are conducted only in the English language.
U.S. English, a group promoting making English the official language of the United States, applauded the bill introduced by Stockman.
“Rep. Stockman’s bill proposes common sense changes that will help encourage immigrants to fully assimilate, while saving the federal government millions of dollars,” Chairman Mauro E. Mujica of U.S. English said.
Mujica continued, saying that “by using English, rather than a native language, a newcomer to the United States is able to fully integrate into American culture.”
“Performing naturalization ceremonies and providing voting ballots in languages other than English are duplicative and unnecessary. In order to become a naturalized citizen, an immigrant to the United States is already required to pass a test demonstrating English proficiency. By using English, rather than a native language, a newcomer to the United States is able to fully integrate into American culture. As an immigrant myself, I have experienced firsthand how speaking the nation’s common language fluently can make one feel fully American, and I am hopeful that the House of Representatives will support the positive intentions of this unifying legislation.”
A similar bill, the “English Language Unity Act” was introduced by Republican Senator James Inhofe and Rep. Steve King in 2013. Congressman King’s bill (H.R. 997) had 60 original co-sponsors.
Rep. Steve King said regarding his bill that, “A common language is the most powerful unifying force known throughout history. We need to encourage assimilation of legal immigrants in each generation. A nation divided by language cannot pull together as effectively as a people.”
A very recent poll found that 83% of Americans say that English should be the official language of the United States.
