[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 159 (Friday, November 16, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2107]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  DECLARATION OF OFFICIAL ENGLISH ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. BOB STUMP

                               of arizona

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, November 16, 2001

  Mr. STUMP. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to reintroduce the Declaration 
of Official Language Act, legislation I have introduced in the past two 
Congresses. This legislation establishes English as the official 
language of the U.S. government, requires that naturalization 
ceremonies be conducted solely in English, repeals the federal 
bilingual education requirements and repeals bilingual voting 
requirements.
  Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, the previous administration advanced 
policies contributing to our nation's growing language problem. One of 
the most glaring examples is that under the Clinton Administration the 
Immigration and Naturalization Service held its first mass 
naturalization ceremony conducted in a language other than English. 
Only Congressional and public outcry prevented far more citizenship 
ceremonies segregated by language choice.
  Perhaps the most egregious of the Clinton Administration's language 
policies was the issuance of Executive Order 13166, ``Improving Access 
to Services for Persons with Limited English Proficiency.'' Executive 
Order 13166 potentially requires every recipient of federal funds to 
provide a translation into any language spoken anywhere in the world, 
currently 6,800 languages, at a moment's notice.
  Broken down, this means that every state, county, and municipal 
government, any university or college, and anyone that accepts federal 
money could face a costly ``language discrimination'' lawsuit at any 
moment. This burdensome executive order imposes a costly mandate on 
federal agencies and the potential cost to the American public is 
frankly astronomical.
  While America has been enriched by the contributions of people from 
all over the world, no one benefits if we cannot communicate with one 
another. One nation, united by a common language, is a gift that should 
not be taken for granted. However, in the United States, it is now 
possible for a person to vote, apply for welfare, and to demand 
official government documents and translation services without learning 
a word of English.
  Mr. Speaker, poll after poll consistently suggests that Americans 
support English as America's official language. The Declaration of 
Official Language Act is intended to restore the place of English in 
our government, our voting booths and our public schools.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this common sense 
legislation.

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