Senator Tom Cotton (Arkansas) newest cosponsor of Unity Act

Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas is the newest cosponsor of the English Language Unity Act of 2015 (S.678).

On December 17th, Senator Tom Cotton (AR) became the newest cosponsor of the English Language Unity Act of 2015 (S.678).  In signing, Cotton joins his fellow Arkansas Senator John Boozman.

This Official English bill was originally sponsored by Senator Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma, and has garnered the support of Senators David Perdue and Johnny Isakson of Georgia, David Vitter of Louisiana, and Jeff Sessions of Alabama.

According to GovTrack, the English Language Unity Act of 2015 has three general aims:

$11.    to declare English as the official language of the United States

$12.    establish a uniform English language rule for naturalization

$13.    avoid misconstructions of the English language texts of the laws of the United States

The Congressional Research Service lists the following summary of the bill:

“English Language Unity Act of 2015

Establishes English as the official language of the United States.

Requires naturalization ceremonies and official functions of the U.S. government, subject to exceptions, to be conducted in English.

Declares that all citizens should be able to read and understand generally the English language text of U.S. laws.

Allows a person injured by a violation of this Act to obtain relief, including a declaratory judgment, in a civil action.

Declares that English language requirements and workplace policies, whether in the public or private sector, shall be presumptively consistent with U.S. laws.

Requires any ambiguity in U.S. laws to be resolved in accordance with the rights retained by the people and the powers reserved to states under the Bill of Rights.

Directs the Department of Homeland Security to issue a proposed rule for uniform testing of the English language ability of candidates for naturalization based upon the principles that: (1) all citizens should be able to read and understand generally the English language text of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the laws of the United States; and (2) any exceptions to this standard should be limited to extraordinary circumstances, such as asylum.”

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