[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 116 (Thursday, August 1, 1996)]
[House]
[Page H9707]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          CONGRESS ACTS TO MAKE ENGLISH OUR OFFICIAL LANGUAGE

  (Mr. ROTH asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. ROTH. Mr. Speaker, today is a great day for America. We are 
finally going to address an issue that the American people have been 
asking us to address for a long time, like the 45,000 people, 97 
percent of the people who called in to USA Today in one weekend who 
said let us make English our official language.
  Winston Churchill said a common language is one of the Nation's most 
priceless inheritances, and as an American I am delighted to say today 
that we are going to address this issue. English is a legacy for you 
and for me. No matter what our background or ethnic group, we all want 
to pass on this legacy for posterity so we can remain one Nation, one 
people, one language.
  We Americans are from every corner of the globe. We represent every 
ethnic group, every religious group, every nation. But we are one 
nation, one people. Why? Because up to now we have had a wonderful 
commonality and today we are going to make English our official 
language so that we can respect all cultures, but also reaffirm our 
common bond and unifying force, the English language.

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