Rep. Steve King Wants To Make English Official Language Of U.S.

Republican Representative Steve King of Iowa introduced HR 997: The English Language Unity Act would establish English as the official language of the United States.

Rep. King introduced the bill because he believes that learning English opens people to better jobs and they learn and appreciate American culture more completely. The Des Moines Register newspaper quotes King: ''English is the language of opportunity in America. Learning English opens doors to better jobs and opportunities, the foundation America was built upon. The only way to fully learn about American culture, and what makes America truly unique, is through our common bond of the English language.'' King introduced the legislation once before in the House back in 2007. As a state senator from Iowa in 2002, he led the effort to get the measure passed. It was signed by then-Governor Tom Vilsack who later stated that he was wrong to sign the measure into law. The current Iowa governor is Democrat Chet Culver. He supports repealing King's bill that was signed into law by Vilsack. King is reportedly interested in seeking the Republican nomination for governor in 2010 and would oppose Culver if nominated by the Iowa GOP. State Rep. Bruce Hunter of Des Moines has introduced a bill to repeal the state law. Current Governor Culver was Iowa's Secretary of State in 2002 when the English only bill became law. He offered voter registration forms in multiple languages after the bill was passed. The Des Moines Register reports the following: ''But District Judge Douglas Staskal ruled 10 months ago that the Iowa secretary of state was violating Iowa's English-language law by offering voter registration forms in Spanish, Laotian, Bosnian and Vietnamese. Such forms were immediately removed from the secretary's Web site after the ruling.'' Culver said the bill allowed a provision for multiple languages. Hunter's bill to repeal the law has earned support from the Iowa chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union and the Iowa Catholic Conference. Most Democrats support the repeal effort and Republicans oppose it. Former Governor Vilsack and current Governor Culver agree that the law divides Iowans and doesn't move the state forward.