“Official English” Trend: Latest Law Is In Polk County, WI

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January 30, 2014

ARLINGTON, VA— ProEnglish, the nation’s leading advocate of designating English as the official language of government, today praised the Polk County, WI, Board of Supervisors for voting 13-9 to declare English as the county’s official language. It specifically requires all audio, video, printed materials, signage or other materials used in any official capacity to be in English.

“We praise the resolution’s sponsor, Rick Scoglio, and a majority of his fellow supervisors who made Polk the first Wisconsin county to adopt this needed legislation,” said ProEnglish Executive Director Robert Vandervoort. “ProEnglish especially agrees with Supervisor Greg Bergstrom, who emphasizes that this ordinance is an efficient way to keep costs down by not having to print material in so many different languages.”

“Instead of encouraging immigrants and their children to learn English, all too many governments— at the local, state and federal levels— are making it their policy to communicate with numerous non-English speakers in their native languages,” Vandervoort says. “These kinds of policies are an unacceptable reversal of the traditional American assimilation model.”

“Passing this ordinance will help promote immigrants’ successful integration into American life, save taxpayer dollars and set a good precedent for other Wisconsin counties and the Wisconsin legislature to follow,” Vandervoort says. “In recent years 31 states have passed official-English-in-government laws and Congress is considering such legislation at the federal level, with bills being introduced this year both in the House and Senate. Wisconsin is only one of 19 states that does not have a statewide official English law.”

“While Congress is misguidedly attempting to push through an immigration bill without enforceable English assimilation provisions, the American people are passing ordinances in their own towns and counties to promote English language learning and integration,” he said.