[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 27 (Friday, February 18, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E266-E267]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    BAD LANGUAGE: ENGLISH-ONLY BILLS ONCE AGAIN ATTEMPT TO PENALIZE 
                               IMMIGRANTS

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. GENE GREEN

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 17, 2011

  Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I would like to submit the 
following editorial:

    Bad Language: English-Only Bills Once Again Attempt To Penalize 
                               Immigrants

              [From the Brownsville Herald, Feb. 13, 2011]

       Among the various bills offered in Washington and Austin 
     are new efforts to force every US. resident to speak English.
       U.S. Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, has pledged to file an 
     English-only bill in Congress. Similar bills have already 
     been filed in the Texas Legislature.
       State Rep. Dennis Bonnen, R-Angleton, has filed legislation 
     to make English the official state language and require that 
     all official business be conducted in that language. Rep. Tim 
     Kleinschmidt, R-Lexington, has offered a bill mandating that 
     driving tests be given only in English.
       We doubt that such bills would pass constitutional muster. 
     The First Amendment clearly states that ``Congress shall make 
     no law . . . abridging the freedom of speech. . . .'' That 
     should include laws limiting the language that people choose 
     to speak.
       The nativists who support such legislation forget this 
     country's honorable history of accepting troubled refugees, 
     such from Cuba in 1980, Indochina in the 1970s and various 
     defectors from the Soviet bloc countries throughout the Cold 
     War. It's unreasonable and cruel to accept these people, only 
     to impose our oppressive rules on their behavior.
       Language restrictions on driver's tests make little sense, 
     especially in a border state like Texas. Many foreign 
     nationals spend significant amounts of time in this state, 
     whether on business or on vacation. Many of them drive on our 
     streets when they're here. With trade pacts calling for 
     greater access to shipments from other countries, we should 
     encourage people to show proficiency and knowledge of our 
     traffic laws; language restrictions will only discourage 
     people from working to get those licenses.
       The ability to conduct business in other languages should 
     be evident to all state lawmakers. More than $150 billion in 
     goods are traded between Texas and Mexico each year alone. 
     Greater investment and trade coming from Japan, China, and 
     other countries should inspire officials to expand rather 
     than restrict languages that are accepted for legal 
     documents.
       Language is not a major problem for this country. Many 
     immigrants come here unable to speak English but, more than 
     80 percent of their children are fluent in the language. 
     English is the primary language of some 94 percent of their 
     grandchildren.
       However, such bills send a clear message to people in other 
     countries: We don't want you here. As America continues to 
     fall behind other countries academically and is losing trade 
     and commerce to other countries, we might be convincing some 
     of the brightest minds to stay home, and benefit their home 
     countries, not the U.S.
       We trust majorities of lawmakers will see the folly in 
     these bills.

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