Official English Legislation Introduced in Maryland

Old Line State would be 28th to enact common language measure

Maryland Delegate Pat McDonough introduced legislation last week that would make English the official language of Maryland. House Bill 1335 ensures that the state does not have an obligation to provide foreign language services, except when required by federal law.

If H.B. 1335 is passed by both the House and the Senate and signed into law, Maryland would become the 28th state to make English its official language. The Maryland legislature previously passed official English legislation in 1994 and 1998, though the measures were vetoed by then Governors Schaefer and Glendening. Last year, H.B. 1152 deadlocked in the House Government Organization Committee.

“Delegate McDonough should be applauded for his efforts to unite Maryland under one common language,” said Mauro E. Mujica, Chairman of U.S. English, Inc. “At a time when the state is struggling to assimilate a record number of new immigrants, it is time for a common sense language policy for the state.”

According to the 2000 Census, 246,000 Marylanders are limited English proficient. Of these, 111,000 speak English “not well” or “not at all,” representing a 86 percent increase from 1990. In all, 117 languages are spoken at home in the Old Line State, including 96 in Montgomery County, 76 in Baltimore County and 75 in Prince George’s County.

“As a Spanish speaking immigrant to the United States, I understand the difficulty of being in a foreign country with a different language,” continued Mujica. “Unfortunately, today’s immigrants will have difficulty surviving, let alone thriving, without a firm grasp of English. We need to institute an official English policy for the benefit of today’s English learners and English learners to come. H.B. 1335 is a step in that statewide beneficial goal.”

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.