McAlester News-Capital, McAlester, OK

Local News

March 19, 2008

‘Say it in English’ bill moves forward

By TIM TALLEY

By TIM TALLEY

Associated Press Writer

OKLAHOMA CITY — The author of Oklahoma’s sweeping anti-illegal-immigration law said Tuesday he plans new legislation that would ask voters to make English the official language of the state.

Rep. Randy Terrill, R-Moore, said the measure will seek a constitutional amendment requiring that all official state government business be conducted in English similar to proposals adopted by 30 other states that have made English the official language.

The legislation addresses government speech and recognizes the state’s right to control the way it communicates with citizens and how citizens communicate with it, Terrill said.

If approved by voters, the measure would prevent the state from having to deliver taxpayer services in a language other than English and avoid the cost of providing services in multiple languages by using translators and publishing state documents in various languages.

“Translation costs money,” Terrill said. “We know the costs are significant.”

The measure also adopts a federal government policy that encourages immigrants to assimilate into American society by speaking English.

The bill carves out exceptions for American Indian languages and would not interfere with tribal language programs. English-only legislation died in the House last year after it was opposed by tribal officials.

“This bill simply does not touch Native American languages at all,” Terrill said. “This bill, I think, is legally air tight.”

The “official English” requirements are in an amendment Terrill plans to insert into a Senate bill that is pending in the House General Government and Transportation Committee. Terrill said he hopes to fast-track the bill and have it approved by the House and Senate and awaiting Gov. Brad Henry’s signature by the end of March.

Terrill authored last year’s House Bill 1804, anti-immigration legislation that had wide bipartisan support. It went into effect for the public sector on Nov. 1 and will go into effect July 1 for private sector employers.

Among other things, the measure bars illegal immigrants from receiving tax-supported services, requires employers to verify the immigration status of their employees and exposes employers to legal action for hiring unauthorized immigrants in place of U.S. citizens.

The “official English” proposal is part of legislation Terrill filed to strengthen last year’s bill that also would have allowed law enforcement agencies to seize and forfeit assets used to harbor, transport or conceal illegal aliens.

Terrill said he did not pursue the bill because it had far less political support than last year’s measure. Public opinion polls indicate voters support expanding state anti-illegal immigrant guidelines but businesses say the guidelines have driven Hispanic workers — legal and illegal — out of the state, making it harder to find workers.

The idea of making English the state’s official language is not new. In 2002, the state Supreme Court ruled that an initiative petition to make English the official state language was unconstitutional and infringed on the right of free speech, the freedom to petition the government for redress and upon the policy-making function of the Legislature.

In 2006, the city of Altus reached a settlement with a group of Hispanic municipal workers who challenged the city’s English-only policy. The workers had filed complaints with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that said the city did not show there was a need to prevent them from speaking Spanish and that the policy singled out a nationality.

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