[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 1 (Tuesday, January 7, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E36]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   COMMON LANGUAGE, COMMON SENSE: THE BILL EMERSON ENGLISH LANGUAGE 
                            EMPOWERMENT ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                     HON. RANDY ``DUKE'' CUNNINGHAM

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, January 7, 1997

  Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, today I introduce legislation making 
English the official language of the U.S. Government. Similar 
legislation in the 104th Congress (H.R. 123) drew 197 bipartisan House 
cosponsors, and won a bipartisan 259-169 House vote on August 1, 1996.
  The Bill Emerson English Language Empowerment Act represents a 
common-sense, common language policy. The legislation:
  Names English as the official language of the Government of the 
United States;
  Recognizes our historical linguistic and cultural diversity, while 
finding that English represents a common bond of Americans, and is the 
language of opportunity in the United States;
  Requires the U.S. Government to conduct its official business in 
English, and to conduct naturalization ceremonies in English;
  Entitles every person in the U.S. to receive official communications 
in English;
  Includes commonsense exceptions to the policy, such as for 
international relations, national security, teaching of languages, 
preservations of Native Alaskan or Native American languages, and for 
any use of English in a nonofficial or private capacity;
  Is supported by 86 percent of all Americans, 81 percent of immigrants 
(Luntz, 1996), and a broad range of mainstream citizen organizations, 
such as U.S. English, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion 
and others.
  The only substantial difference between this bill and the H.R. 123 
adopted by the House in 1996 is that the House-passed bill incorporated 
a repeal of the Federal bilingual ballot mandate, H.R. 351, and this 
bill does not. I continue to support repeal of the Federal bilingual 
ballot mandate. This arrangement helps simplify the bill's referral to 
only one House committee.
  Our late colleague, Representative Bill Emerson worked for many years 
to make English the official language of the U.S. Government. Through 
his goodwill, we had an historic and successful first-ever House vote 
on the issue in the 104th Congress. His widow and successor, 
Representative JoAnn Emerson is the first cosponsor of this legislation 
in the 105th Congress.
  I invite Members to cosponsor the Bill Emerson English Language 
Empowerment Act in the 105th Congress, so we may enact this positive 
and constructive legislation.

                          ____________________