J.D. Vance Watch: Bill would make English the official language in the US

Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) Website
Phone: (202) 224-3353 Washington, D.C.
Phone: (216) 539-7877 Cleveland

Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) yesterday introduced a bill to declare English as the official language of the United States. S.1109—The English Language Unity Act, would require government functions to be conducted in English and adjust requirements for naturalization by introducing a universal English language testing standard.

The bill is co-sponsored by Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-North Dakota).

“This commonsense legislation recognizes an inherent truth: English is the language of this country,” Vance said. “That is why the overwhelming majority of the American people support this proposal. 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.”

S.1109 is identical or similar to the House version—H.R. 997, which was introduced by Rep. Bob Good (R-Virginia-5^th District).

Vance’s bill was read and referred to the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

Good’s bill was introduced February 14 and referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce and the Committee on the Judiciary.

According to Vance:

• In May 2022 a Rasmussen poll found that 78 percent of American adults agreed English should be the official language of the United States;
• With few exceptions, the vast majority of nations legally recognize national language, including Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Sweden, Brazil and Denmark.
• English is already the official language of 31 states and all U.S. territories;
• The English Language Unity Act would apply to all laws, public proceedings, regulations, publications, orders, actions, programs and policies;
• The act would not apply to the teaching of languages, requirements under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, communication necessary for national security, international relations, trade, tourism or commerce, communication relating to public health and safety, the Census, actions that protect the rights of victims of crimes or criminal defendants or terms of art or phrases from languages other than English.

Also yesterday, signed on as a co-sponsor of:

• S.1073 – A bill to amend the Clayton Act to prevent conflicts of interest and promote competition in the sale and purchase of digital advertising. Sponsor Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) said The bill would restore and protect competition in digital advertising by eliminating conflicts of interest that have allowed the leading platforms in the market – namely Google and Facebook – to manipulate ad auctions and impose monopoly rents on a broad swath of the American economy.
• S.1160 – A bill to provide greater transparency with respect to the financial regulatory agencies, and for other purposes.

Since taking office in January, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) has co-sponsored 32 other bills. Here’s a summary: