Category: Official English

N.B. Speakers of the House tend not to cosponsor legislation. Gingrich became Speaker in 1994, so co-sponsorships and votes are limited after that year.

1. Making English the Official Language of the United States:

• Cosponsored an amendment to the U.S Constitution to make English the official language (H.J. Res. 81) in 1989 and 1991.

• Cosponsored the Language of Government Act (H.R. 123) in 1993.

“   I strongly favor English as the official language of government.

Source: “Quick Quote: Gingrich on Making English the Official Language of America,” Fox News Insider, September 22, 2011.

2. Multilingual Ballots:

• Supports the repeal of Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act of 1975 that mandates jurisdictions with residents from certain “language minority” groups must provide foreign language voter ballots at the local taxpayers’ expense.

“Citizenship requires passing a test on American history in English. If that’s true, then we do not have to create ballots in any language except English.

Source: “Newt, Bilingual Ed and the PC Police,” by Tony Blankley. RealClearPolitics.com, April 4, 2007.

ProEnglish Evaluation:

3. DREAM Act / Amnesty: (Development, Relief, and Education of Alien Minors*)

*ProEnglish assesses the candidates’ positions on the federally introduced DREAM Act because the legislation would grant legal status to millions of non-English-speaking persons without requiring English proficiency first. ProEnglish also opposes the DREAM Act because it would increase the demand for taxpayer-funded multilingual government services.

• Voted in favor of the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act which granted a blanket amnesty without any English proficiency requirements.

• Supports the DREAM Act which would grant amnesty (legal status) to illegal aliens who arrived in the United States before the age of 16.    Source: “Newt Gingrich’s 2012 Immigration Dance,” Politico, April 22, 2011.

ProEnglish Evaluation:

4. Puerto Rican Statehood: (Requiring Puerto Rico to make English its sole official language before being admitted as the 51st state and opposing Congress passing legislation that rigs the self-determination process in Puerto Rico).

• Cosponsored the U.S.-Puerto Rico Political Status Act (H.R. 3024) in 1996 and (H.R. 856) in 1997.

"I've supported, as you know, Puerto Rican Statehood bills...."

      Source:  2005 Congressional hearing, video via Breitbart.tv, "Flashback 2005:  Newt Gingrich wants Puerto Rico to become a State."

•  On March 15, 2012, Newt Gingrich stated, "to be a state, English should be the official language of government [in Puerto Rico]."

Source:   Romney defiende la estadidad en español, by Jose A. Delgado, March 16, 2012

ProEnglish Evaluation:

5. English-on-the-job:

• Supports the right of employers to require employees to speak English on the job.

“Congress should first make it clear that employers are permitted to require that English be spoken for legitimate business purposes while on the job, as long as the policy is clearly posted and known to employees before they are hired.

Source: “Is the U.S. Government Out to Undermine English?” by Newt Gingrich, Human Events. April 30, 2007.

ProEnglish Evaluation:

6. Multiculturalism/Assimilation:

• Cosponsored a bill (H.R.2859) in 1993 to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide that public ceremonies for the admission of new citizens shall be conducted solely in English.

“If you are pro-immigration to America, you should be pro-assimilation into English as the common language because in fact your children and grandchildren will have a dramatically better future if they are part of the common commercial civilization.

Source: “Gingrich: English language key to assimilation,” Houston Chronicle, January 25, 2007

“   The government should quit mandating that various documents be printed in any one of 700 languages depending on who randomly shows up.

Source: “Newt, Bilingual Ed and the PC Police,” by Tony Blankley. RealClearPolitics.com, April 4, 2007.

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