Official English As A 2020 Election Issue

Official English legislation has the potential to emerge as a very important issue in advance of the Nov. 3 presidential and congressional elections.

Even with the great challenges that have been posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and shutdowns, ProEnglish has diligently remained in regular communications with the offices of countless senators and representatives on Capitol Hill in an effort to continue to build support for H.R. 997 and S. 678 – The English Language Unity Act. The bill designates English as the nation’s official language of governmental operations and establishes a uniform language requirement for the citizen naturalization process.

The passage of official English legislation in H.R. 997 and S. 678 will save Americans billions of dollars in current, government-mandated translation and interpretation costs and will encourage cultural and linguistic assimilation by new arrivals to our nation.

ProEnglish also is urging senators on Capitol Hill to support the RAISE Act, as sponsored by Sen. David Perdue of Georgia, Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, and Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri. The RAISE Act will establish a point-based system that will help select skilled immigrants who have the most to offer to this nation, and applicants will earn points in part based on their proficiency in English.

ProEnglish also has been regularly engaging President Donald Trump to effectively repeal and replace Executive Order (EO) 13166, as signed by former President Bill Clinton, which requires every federal agency and every recipient of any federal funds to provide translation services, interpreters, and documents in any foreign language which is requested. It is an onerous Executive Order that must be repealed and replaced by President Trump as soon as possible with a new Executive Order. ProEnglish already has had 7 White House meetings to discuss a repeal and replacement of EO 13166 with several aides to President Trump and Vice President Pence, and we hope to have the President sign a new Executive Order very soon.

ProEnglish also is supporting official English efforts in various states across the nation as we seek to add to the 32 states across the USA that already have passed official English legislation. Wisconsin and New York are two states that have been pursuing official English legislation in 2020.

Please support ProEnglish as we seek to pass H.R. 997, S. 678, the RAISE Act, and as we seek a repeal and replacement of EO 13166 with a new Executive Order, and as we work to add to the list of states passing official English legislation all across the nation. There is much to do on behalf of official English in this very busy election year of 2020, and we are very grateful to you for all of your support!