U.S. Senator J.D. Vance (R-OH) has introduced legislation that aims to establish English as the official language of the United States.
The English Language Unity Act, sponsored by Vance and U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) would require government functions to be conducted in English, and adjust requirements for naturalization by introducing a universal English language testing standard.
According to Vance, the legislation is supported by an overwhelming majority of the American people.
“This commonsense legislation recognizes an inherent truth: English is the language of this country. That is why the overwhelming majority of the American people support this proposal,” Vance said.
A 2022 poll conducted by Rasmussen found that 78 percent of American adults agreed English should be the official language of the United States.
A report from the United States Census Bureau published last year found that English is the most common language spoken at home in the United States and that the use of English has increased steadily since 1980.
Vance’s office identified that, with very few exceptions, the vast majority of countries, including Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Sweden, Brazil, and Denmark, officially recognize national language.
Vance also noted that English is already the official language of 31 out of 50 states and all U.S. territories.
Ohio does not have an official language. The state does however, allow referendum and voter initiatives to pass new statutes or to change the state’s constitution.
2023 statistics from World Population Review detail that 92.78 percent of Ohio residents speak only English, while 7.22 percent speak other languages.
State Representative Jennifer Gross (R-West Chester) told The Ohio Star that she “supports English as the official language of Ohio” and “would be willing to support/sponsor legislation to support Senator Vance.”
“I believe that in any country, their native tongue is the language. In France, it’s French, and in Mexico, it’s Spanish it’s fair to require our language, our mother tongue, is English, we should continue with ESL (English as a Second Language) classes and with continuous effort to help our immigrants assimilate into our culture. We are Americans. Therefore, English is the standard,” Gross told The Star.
According to Vance, it’s past time for Congress to establish English as the United States official language.
“The English language has been a cornerstone of American culture for over 250 years. It is far past time for Congress to codify its place into law, which is exactly what this bill does,” Vance said.
The English Language Unity Act would be applicable to all laws, public proceedings, regulations, publications, orders, actions, programs and policies.
Under the legislation representatives of the federal government would have an obligation to preserve and enhance the role of English as the official U.S language including encouraging greater opportunities for individuals to learn the English language.
The legislation would not apply to the teaching of languages, requirements under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, communication required for national security, relations with other countries, trade, tourism, or commerce, communication related to public health and safety, the Census, actions that protect the rights of criminal defendants or victims, or terms of art or phrases from languages other than English.
U.S. Representative Bob Good (R-VA-05) has proposed a similar policy in the U.S. House of Representatives, with Republicans having sought to make English the official language for decades.
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Hannah Poling is a lead reporter at The Ohio Star and The Star News Network. Follow Hannah on Twitter @HannahPoling1. Email tips to [email protected]
Photo “J.D. Vance” by Gage Skidmore. CC BY-SA 2.0. Background Photo “U.S. Capitol” by
Andy Feliciotti.
