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Legal Status of official English in Indiana

Because Indiana's official language statute does not specify any actions to be taken, a constitutional amendment, with far more specific provisions, has been proposed (below). Indiana was one of the first states to make English its official language, doing so in 1984. The text of the statutewas simply this:

INDIANA STATUTES
Section 1-2-10-1 - State Language (1984)
The English language is adopted as the official language of the state of Indiana.

Languages in Indiana

The foreign languages most commonly spoken as the primary language in a home in Indiana are: Spanish (144,366 speakers), German (34,029), French (14,217), Other West Germanic languages(10,868), Chinese (8,638), Polish(7,256), and Serbo-Croatian(4,926).

Indiana Proposed Constitutional Amendment for Official English

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION No.10
Citations Affected: Article 15 of the Indiana Constitution.

Synopsis
English as official language of Indiana. Provides that the English language is the official language of the State of Indiana. Requires all laws, rules, official documents, orders, transactions, proceedings, programs, meetings, publications, or actions enacted, adopted, issued, conducted, regulated, or taken by, on behalf of, or representing the state or a political subdivision of the state to be in the English language except as provided by laws enacted by the General Assembly or required by federal law. This proposed amendment has not been previously agreed to by a general assembly.

Status
This proposed amendment must be agreed to by two consecutive general assemblies and ratified by a majority of the state's voters voting on the question to be effective.
January 16, 2007, read first time and referred to Committee on Rules and Legislative Procedures.
Introduced First Regular Session 115th General Assembly (2007)

Content
A JOINT RESOLUTION proposing an amendment to Article 15 of the Indiana Constitution by adding a new Section concerning general provisions.

Be it resolved by the General Assembly of the State of Indiana:

SECTION 1.
The following amendment to the Constitution of the State of Indiana is proposed and agreed to by this, the One Hundred Fifteenth General Assembly of the State of Indiana, and is referred to the next General Assembly for reconsideration and agreement.

SECTION 2.
Article 15 of the Constitution of the State of Indiana is amended by adding a new Section to read as follows:
     Section 11.
     (a) The English language is the official language of the State of Indiana.
     (b) Except as:
          (1) provided by laws enacted by the General Assembly; or
          (2) required by federal law;
     all laws, rules, official documents, orders, transactions, proceedings, programs, meetings, publications, or actions enacted, adopted, issued, conducted, regulated, or taken by, on behalf of, or representing the state or a political subdivision of the State shall be in the English language.