[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 1 (Wednesday, January 4, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E24]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                      ENGLISH LANGUAGE TAX CREDIT

                                 ______


                           HON. BILL EMERSON

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, January 4, 1995
  Mr. EMERSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce an important 
piece of legislation that I believe to be an integral part of the 
official English movement. As you may know, I am the author of H.R. 
123, the Language of Government Act which seeks to make English the 
official language of the United States Government. This legislation is 
the perfect complement to the Language of Government Act. It recognizes 
the need for a highly skilled labor force and provides a tax credit to 
employers for the cost of providing English language instruction to 
their limited-English-proficient employees.
  Many Americans lack the language skills and literacy necessary to 
take full advantage of roles as responsible citizens and productive 
workers. While many employers acknowledge the need to educate their 
workers and have demonstrated an interest in establishing on-site 
training programs for their employees, the high cost of doing so often 
prevents them from taking any concrete action. This legislation will 
provide them with an incentive to offer this crucial instruction to 
their employees and make the workplace a friendlier, and less daunting 
environment for non-English-proficient employees.


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