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English Language Unity Act Soars Past 150 Co-Sponsors in House
Representatives Porter, Kingston and Henry Brown latest to support official English
Last update: 11:58 a.m. EDT July 16, 2008

WASHINGTON, Jul 16, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Efforts to make English the official language of the United States received a boost this week when three members of Congress added their support as co-sponsors of H.R. 997, the English Language Unity Act. The affirmations by Rep. Henry Brown, Jr., Rep. Jack Kingston and Rep. Jon Porter push the total number of bi-partisan co-sponsors of the measure to 152.
"I want to thank Representatives Porter, Kingston and Brown, along with the many co-sponsors of H.R. 997 for their efforts to focus on assimilation within our diverse society," said Mauro E. Mujica, Chairman of the Board of U.S. English, Inc. "At a time when some would have us believe that Americans need to learn the language of the immigrants, I am pleased to see that a large contingent of Congressional leaders remain focused on English, the language of opportunity and unity in our nation."
With 152 co-sponsors from 39 states, H.R. 997 is one the most widely supported bills in the 110th Congress and marks the second term in a row where more than 150 representatives have supported the bill. Despite polls showing that more than 80 percent of Americans favor making English the official language, H.R. 997 is still pending in the House Judiciary Committee as well as the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
Recognizing that English proficiency is necessary for integration into the American mainstream, The English Language Unity Act would require the United States government to conduct official business in English. Introduced by Rep. Steve King in 2007, H.R. 997 would limit routine government operations to English, while giving government agencies common sense flexibility to protect public health and safety, national security, and to provide for the needs of the commerce and justice systems.
"Americans understand that being multilingual is an asset, but being unable to speak English in the United States is a ticket to low wages and lost opportunity," added Mujica. "We look forward to working with members on both sides of the aisle to gain support for H.R. 997 and reduce the number of limited English proficient persons in this country."
U.S. English, Inc. is the nation's oldest and largest non-partisan citizens' action group dedicated to preserving the unifying role of the English language in the United States. Founded in 1983 by the late Sen. S.I. Hayakawa of California, U.S. English can be found on the web at www.usenglish.org.
SOURCE: U.S. English, Inc.

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