U.S. English Lauds Plans to Help Minnesota Immigrants Learn English

In a bold new proposal to promote assimilation among Minnesota’s newest immigrants, Governor Tim Pawlenty unveiled a plan to encourage English language instruction and citizenship. The measure uses a mix of tax incentives and modest spending measures to assist newcomers in their journey to become Americans.

“Governor Pawlenty should be widely applauded for his efforts to encourage English learning and citizenship,” said Mauro E. Mujica, Chairman of U.S. English, Inc. “At a time when we have our highest immigration levels in more than 80 years, our nation needs leaders who will put an emphasis on these basic ideals.”

The governor’s proposal includes:

• A tax credit to compensate families for English language learning costs and citizenship fees. Approximately 15,000 families earning less than $30,000 would be eligible for a $300 tax credit for costs incurred for these efforts.

• The establishment of a grant program for employers to provide English language instruction to their employees. A $3 million grant through the Minnesota Job Skills Partnership Board would allow for the instruction of 1,100 employees.

“While nearly all immigrants understand that learning English is crucial for their success in the United States, the lack of language learning opportunities often hinders their proficiency in our common language,” continued Mujica. Unfortunately, too many state and local governments today fail to fund learning programs and concentrate their efforts on perpetual multilingual services. This divisive practice serves as only a short term crutch.

“Gov. Pawlenty, on the other hand, is taking steps to ensure that new Minnesotans will be able to read the forms tomorrow, participate in the community the next day, and be able to converse with other Americans for the rest of their lives. This bold idea will lead thousands to take the important first steps toward becoming Americans and should stir others into adopting much-needed English learning programs in their community.

“Minnesota has a long history of welcoming legal immigrants and successfully assimilating them into American society. The forward thinking ideas advanced by Gov. Pawlenty put the North Star State at the forefront of Americanization efforts. I look forward to the legislature acting on the governor’s plans, and to other states adopting these pro-immigrant, pro-America initiatives.”

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.