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Three States Move To Adopt English As Official Language

Rachel Stoltzfoos Staff Reporter
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Lawmakers in New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania are working to adopt English as the official state language.

A hearing is scheduled for the Pennsylvania bill, and the New York and New Jersey bills have been referred to committee for consideration, the Washington Free Beacon reports.

Pennsylvania’s bill cites the efficiency of printing in one language as one cause for the bill, and says it aims to “preserve, protect, and strengthen the unifying role of English.” Sen. Anthony Bucco, a sponsor of the New Jersey bill, said it’s important to encourage those who speak little to no English to become fluent.

“Data from the Census Bureau tells us that those who struggle to speak English experience the highest unemployment and lowest wages,” he told The Free Beacon.

In addition to making English the official state language, the Pennsylvania bill would require all official acts of the state, such as licensing and tax records, to be in English. Neither bill would infringe on the right of private citizens to speak whatever language they prefer.

Thirty-one states have adopted English as the official language, and non-partisan group U.S. English Inc. is working to have the remaining 19 follow suit.

“Unfortunately, without English proficiency, immigrants are often linguistically isolated—facing a lower paying job, less likely to have health insurance and other benefits, and encountering language barriers on a daily basis,” U.S. English Inc. Chairman and immigrant Mauro E. Mujica told The Free Beacon.

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