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Date: Thu, 26 Oct 1995 12:07:15 -0400
From: Fran Keenan <fran@cal.org>
To: nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov
Subject: english only hearing
Status: RO
X-Status:
This posting was written 10/20 by James Crawford, editor of Language
Loyalties: A Source Book on the Official English Controversy (1992)
University of Chicago. Read it if you want to know what members of
Congress are saying about Offical English legislation. It's long but
very interesting! (FK)
Members of Congress debated the pros and cons of English-only
legislation at an Oct. 18 hearing of the House subcommittee on early
childhood, youth, and families. Sponsors of the four major "Language
of Government" bills stressed several familiar themes: the need to
preserve English as the "social glue" uniting Americans, the alleged
failure of bilingual education to assimilate immigrants, and the
specter of civil strife brought on by language diversity. None made
mention of the special situation of Native American languages or how
they might be affected by the legislation. Some exerpts follow.
Rep. Bill Emerson (R-Mo.), sponsor of H.R. 123: "In an effort to
assist the limited-English proficient individual, the federal
goverment has sanctioned and promoted what amounts to official
multilingualism....
Such a policy sends the very destructive message of linguistic and
social separatism and would effectively create a number of linguistic
ghettos across the country."
Rep. Toby Roth (R-Wisc.), sponsor of H.R. 739: "We're losing our
common bond. For one in seven Americans, English is a foreign
language."
Rep. Pete King (R-N.Y.), sponsor of H.R. 1005: "The purveyors of
political correctness have been successful in instituting big
government programs to actively dissuade new immigrants from learning
English."
Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), sponsor of S. 356: "I believe all
functions of government should be performed in English ... the
language of opportunity in this country."
Rep. Sonny Bono (R-Calif.), cosponsor of several bills, called
for a "common-sense approach. This is America, English is our
language, and that's that. ... Enough is enough of this
bleeding-heart stuff."
Opponents questioned the need for an official U.S. language
after
200+ years of doing without one, cited the bills' threat to minority
rights and educational opportunities, and warned that they would
foster intolerance and division. Rep. Jose Serrano, sponsor of H.
Con. Res. 83, an "English Plus" resolution, argued that the
English-only legislation as currently drafted would make it illegal
for him to communicate with constituents in Spanish (and invite
lawsuits against him if he did). Rep.
Ed Pastor (D-Ariz.) noted that the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals
recently struck down a similar English-only measure in his home
state, ruling that it violated First Amendment guarantees of free
speech for state officials and employees.
Robert Underwood (D-Guam) added that English is already the
federal government's "de facto official language. No one seriously
advocates it should be otherwise and no one offers other languages as
official mediums of communication. ... [English-only] advocates should
take heart, declare victory, and go home. ... [These bills] encourage
nativism in our population and send a very negative message about the
conservation of our linguistic resources as a country."
Others who testified in opposition included Reps. Sam Farr
(D-Calif.),
Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Xavier Becerra (D-Calif.), and Sheila
Jackson-Lee
(D-Texas).
Six of the subcommittee's 8 Democratic members attended the
hearing, and of these, all opposed the English-only bills and several
made mention of indigenous languages. Rep. Dale Kildee (D-Mich.) cited
the valuable contributions of Navajo and Mohawk code-talkers during
World War II. Rep.
Pat Williams (D-Mont.) noted that several tribes in his state, the
Crow in particular, continue to raise children bilingually. And Rep.
Patsy
Mink (D-Hawaii) expressed concern that English-only legislation would
imperil efforts to revitalize Native Hawaiian, which her state made a
co-official language (along with English) in 1978.
Only 4 of the panel's 10 Republican members attended, and all
raised serious questions about the need for English-only legislation.
Advocates for English Plus plan to meet further with these members and
to mobilize letters from their constituents in hopes of strengthening
these doubts.
These Republicans include the subcommittee's chairman, Randy "Duke"
Cunningham (Calif.), Steve Gunderson (Wisc.), Michael Castle (Del.),
and
Mark Edward Souder (Ind.). If two of these Republicans voted no, the
English-only bills would likely be defeated in subcommittee.
This optimism was somewhat tempered, however, by increasing
support for English-only bills among other House members. Rep.
Emerson now claims
200+ cosponsors for H.R. 123. To pass legislation in the House, 218
votes are required. In addition, the House Republican leadership
remains strongly in support of these measures, apparently having
decided to exploit English-only as a partisan issue (something it has
rarely been in the past).
The subcommittee has scheduled another day of hearings on Nov.
1, at which time non-members of Congress will be allowed to testify.
At this writing, however, no list of witnesses has been agreed upon.
Meanwhile,
Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), has announced plans to hold
English-only hearings in the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee
before the end of this year. And there are unconfirmed reports that
the House Judiciary
Committee, which shares jurisdiction over the English-only bills,
plans hearings as well.
Most observers do not expect formal votes on this legislation,
either in committee on on the House or Senate floors, until sometime
next year, when the English-only issue is expected to figure in
Presidential politics.
Fran Keenan/NCLE
National Clearinghouse for ESL Literacy Education
fran@cal.org
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