Official English Legislation Passes Arizona House

Measure now heads to Senate, could be before voters in 2006

A measure that would make English the official language of Arizona is making its way through the legislature of the Grand Canyon State, raising the prospect that Arizona will soon become the nation’s 28th state to enact English as its official language.

On Thursday, the Arizona House passed House Concurrent Resolution 2030, legislation that would allow the citizens of Arizona to vote on making English the official language of the state. If passed by the legislature, the measure would be placed on the ballot in Nov. 2006. This would mark the second time in Arizona, and the eighth nationwide, where voters have been given the choice to make English the language of a state. Though the 1988 Arizona initiative was struck down by the state Supreme Court, the other six bills remain the law in states such as California, Florida and Colorado.

“In our nation of immigrants, it is has been our common language that has brought us together as Americans,” said Mauro E. Mujica, Chairman of U.S. English, Inc. “Arizona has long been a home to people of many different nationalities who have shared traditions, cultures and assistance through English. Rep. Russell Pearce and other supporters of the legislation deserve high praise for bringing this effort to the voting booth.”

The bill calls for the legislature to maintain the unifying role of the English language in government and provide for English language learning opportunities, yet maintains the freedom for individuals to learn and speak whichever language they choose. Similar legislation has been enacted in 27 states and is currently pending in five others.

“Arizona voters showed considerable foresight by replacing bilingual education with English immersion in 2000,” continued Mujica. “With test scores rising and children succeeding, there is little doubt that the majority of Arizonans made the right choice. Five years after passing this sensible language policy for students, the time has come to ensure that adults have the maximum incentive to learn English.”

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.