Nevada Senate Passes Official English Bill

19-2 vote sends measure to House

Washington, D.C. -- The Nevada Senate passed legislation to make English the official language of the state by a margin of 19-2 today, positioning Nevada to become the 30th with an official English policy. Introduced by Sen. Bob Beers, S.B. 325 would declare English the official language of the state and require that all official proceedings be done in English. The bill now goes to the Nevada House of Representatives for consideration.

“The enthusiasm of the Nevada Senators to support official English shows once again that common language legislation serves to unite the people, not divide them,” said Mauro E. Mujica, Chairman of the Board of U.S. English, Inc. “People may hold differing views on the subject of immigration, but they are overwhelmingly in favor of programs that encourage all new Americans to learn English.”

According to a Feb. 2007 poll by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research, Inc., 70 percent of registered voters in Nevada favor making English the official language of the state, including majorities of Republicans, Democrats and Independents. A nationwide survey of Hispanics by Zogby International in December found that nearly two-in-three Hispanics favored official English policies nationwide.

Nevada is one of 20 states which have seen official English measures introduced in the legislature this year, including Idaho where the legislation was signed into law in March. At the federal level, H.R. 997, the English Language Unity Act of 2007, has almost 100 co-sponsors and remains one of the most widely supported bills in the 110th Congress.

“Last year, U.S. Senator Harry Reid denounced official English legislation on the floor of the Senate,” continued Mujica, speaking of last year’s U.S. Senate debate on an amendment to an immigration bill. “Today, the state Senators from Sen. Reid’s home state gave a loud and clear message to the contrary, demonstrating that they believe official English is a helpful, unifying policy for Nevada. I want to thank the Senators for their effort and hope that the House will follow in their footsteps.”

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.