News & Media

December 2009 - May 2009

December 2009 - May 2009

The new year opens with many prospects on the official English front, both in Congress and state legislatures. In addition to measures already pending, a number of legislators plan to introduce new bills, and multiple opportunities could arise in Congress to reduce multilingualism. Before the year is out, Oklahomans will vote on official English and U.S. citizens in every state will cast ballots for the members of the 112th Congress.

Congress is at it again – attempting to allow the federal government to force private companies to conduct business in languages other than English.

U.S. English Director of Government Relations Tim Schultz discusses the importance of requiring prospective motorists to take the exam in English, including parallels to other requirements states make for would-be drivers.

At the end of last week, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano announced that the administration would pursue immigration reform legislation in 2010. In her speech, Napolitano reiterated that under the plan promoted by the administration, illegal immigrants would have to register, pay fines and all taxes they owe, pass a criminal background check and learn English.

As an organization which counts tens of thousands of veterans in our ranks, and as the children, grandchildren  and parents of immigrants ourselves, U.S. English, Inc. wishes to thank all of the men and women who have protected our country and preserved our freedoms.

Those who have served in the military understand the importance of effective communication; the battlefield is no place for misunderstandings. During its long and illustrious history, the armed forces have been our most notable melting pot, bringing together individuals from different backgrounds for the same purpose – protecting our country.

52 weeks from today, Oklahoma voters will have the opportunity to make English the official language of the state via ballot initiative. In this audiocast, Tim Schultz, Director of Government Relations for U.S. English, Inc., discusses the road to getting the Oklahoma measure on the ballot, chronicling our efforts in the most recent legislative session and the earlier obstacles we overcame to achieve this feat.

Parents in New Haven, Connecticut are locked in a battle with the school district, demanding that the school district provide translations and translators for Spanish speaking parents.

Audio clip regaridng the introduction of the Lee Amendment to stop the government from forcing private businesses to operate in multiple languages.

One frequent question we often receive about official English concerns the type, or dialect, of English that U.S. English is advocating.

U.S. English, Inc. representatives discuss the possible drawbacks of programs that aim to make students fluent in two languages.

As reported in hundreds of news outlets this week, the U.S. Census will be spending $26 million to send Spanish-language Census forms to communities around the nation. The 14 million forms, which will be targeted to specific neighborhoods, raise questions about how the government deals with non-English speaking populations and what is being done to promote English acquisition in the United States.

A Census report out this week found that the percentage of Americans who were born outside of the United States declined between 2007 and 2008, marking the first decrease in many years. Despite the reversed trend, the United States remains a place of great diversity – 12.5 percent, or one-eighth, of the population was born abroad.

A new survey in Virginia is the latest evidence of a strong groundswell of support for policies that allow employers to require that English be spoken on the job. Hear more from Tim Schultz, U.S. English, Inc. Director of Govenrment Relations.

In recent years, the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has unfairly targeted employers who require that their employees speak English while on the job. In this audiocast, Tim Schultz, Director of Government Relations for U.S. English, Inc. discusses the meaning of an English-in-the-Workplace policy, the benefits and legal standing of such directives, and legislative efforts currently underway in the states and Congress.

Efforts are currently underway in the U.S. Congress that could result in Puerto Rico becoming the 51st state.  Tim Schultz, U.S. English, Inc. Director of Government Relations, speaks about these efforts, the possible language policy implications of Puerto Rican statehood, and efforts U.S. English is making to amend the bill.

In this U.S. English audio broadcast, U.S. English Director of Government Relations Tim Schultz discusses the recent efforts of U.S. English and the Oklahoma Congressional delegation. Schultz discusses the attempt by the U.S. Department of Justice to derail the official English bill in Oklahoma and what U.S. English and members of Congress are doing to push back.

Tim Schultz of U.S. English discusses the recently passed measure in Oklahoma that will give voters the chance to make English the official language in Nov. 2010.