Official English Constitutional Amendment Offered In Congress

Rep. Goode continues S.I. Hayakawa’s proud legacy of promoting one common language

Aiming to unite all residents of the United States under one common language, Rep. Virgil Goode (R-VA) introduced a Constitutional Amendment that would declare English the official language of our nation. Reversing the recent tide of divisive and piecemeal multilingualism, H.J. Res. 94 would ensure that government business is conducted in English, providing a common ground for communication and understanding.

First proposed by Senator and U.S. English, Inc. founder S.I. Hayakawa, legislation that would make English the official language of the United States has been one of the most widely supported measures in the past 20 years. More than 550 members of Congress from each of the 50 states have either co-sponsored or voted for official English legislation, including 104 co-sponsors of H.R. 997, the English Language Unity Act, in the 108th Congress. To date, five members – Reps. Doolittle (CA), King (IA), Burton (IN), Bartlett (MD) and Jones (NC) – have joined as original co-sponsors of H.J. Res. 94.

“With the growing number of limited English proficient residents of the United States, Rep. Goode’s amendment could not have come at a more crucial time,” said Mauro E. Mujica, Chairman of U.S. English. “More than 21.3 million Americans suffer because they struggle with English, unable to get better-paying jobs, converse with emergency personnel or help their children with homework. It is unfortunate that many of our political leaders make no effort to help immigrants with the most critical link to higher income and escaping poverty – learning English.

“I and the 1.8 million members of U.S. English salute Rep. Goode for his pro-American efforts and hope that his colleagues will consider this bill in a swift manner.”

U.S. English, Inc. is the nation's oldest and largest non-partisan citizens' action group dedicated to preserving the unifying role of the English language in the United States. Founded in 1983 by the late Sen. S.I. Hayakawa of California, U.S. English, Inc. (www.usenglish.org) now has more than 1.8 million members.