Kansas Official English Bill Goes to Governor

House, Senate reach agreement on bill; State could become 30th with official language

The Kansas House and Senate worked out their differences on the state’s official English legislation today, approving the bill and sending it to Gov. Kathleen Sebelius for her approval. If signed into law by the Governor, the measure would make Kansas the third state in the past six months, and the 30th overall, to declare English as its official language.

“Today, the Kansas legislature took the important step of recognizing the language that unites the diverse population of the state,” said Mauro E. Mujica, Chairman of the Board of U.S. English, Inc. “As an immigrant, I understand that English is the key to full participation in American life. I want to thank the sponsors and supporters of this bill for their efforts to create a long-awaited language policy to get all Kansans on the road to English fluency.”

As passed by the House and Senate, H.B. 2140 would make English the official language of Kansas. Under the legislation, state agencies would not be required to conduct business and provide documents in languages other than English, except where necessary to comply with federal law, protect public safety, and maintain Constitutional rights. Earlier, different versions of the measure passed the House, 114-7, and the Senate, 32-8.

During her successful re-election campaign last year, Gov. Sebelius told the Topeka Capital-Journal that she believed it would be easier for everyone to communicate if English were the official language. Recent polls have shown that the majority of Kansans support her statement. An October 2006 Mason-Dixon poll found that 77 percent of likely voters in Kansas support making English the official language, including majorities of Democrats, Republicans and Independents.

“I especially want to thank Representatives Mario Goico, Candy Ruff, and Don Myers for their tireless efforts to reflect the interests of Kansans and their constituents,” continued Mujica. “The bi-partisan spirit that is reflected in this bill would not be possible without their extraordinary leadership.

“Residents of Kansas expect that newcomers to the state will be on the road to learning English and becoming Americans, and they have a right to expect that government will lead immigrants in that direction,” added Mujica. “Making English the official language is a good policy that is beneficial for all Kansans, and I urge the governor to follow through on her prior statements and sign it into law.”

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.