Senate approves English language bill
BOISE – English would be the official language of the state of Idaho and the only one used for government business under legislation that won approval in the Idaho Senate on Wednesday.
The bill, SB 1172, passed 20-15 and now moves to the House.
“It’s not for shutting people out but bringing people in,” Sen. Mel Richardson, R-Idaho Falls, lead sponsor of the bill, told the Senate. “When we speak a common language, we are unified.”
But Sen. Edgar Malepeai, D-Pocatello, said quietly, “Looking around the chamber, I think I’m probably the only one that has English as a second language.” Malepeai recalled that his late father and his uncles served proudly in the U.S. military. “They spoke very, very broken English, but they were proud American Samoans,” Malepeai said.
As the immigration debate has grown, Malepeai said a business posted a sign saying, “You’re in America – speak English.”
“I’m not sure my parents would feel comfortable walking into a business like that,” he said.
Every Idaho county does its official business in English, Malepeai noted. So does every state agency. “Is there any question that English is the official language?” he asked.
Legislation declaring an official language may seem straightforward, he said. “But the unintended consequence is that sign – you’re in America, speak English. … It hurts the spirit when you see something like that.”
Malepeai said democracy and freedom are what unites all Americans. “That is what unifies people in this country – not the English language,” he said.
A hush fell in the Senate after Malepeai’s comments, and no one else debated the bill. Richardson gave a brief closing debate. He said 28 states have passed laws declaring English the official state language.
The bill requires all “transactions, proceedings, meetings or publications issued, conducted or regulated by … the state of Idaho, or any county, city or other political subdivision in this state” to be in English. It includes exceptions for matters of public health and safety, promoting tourism and economic development, non-English phrases “as part of communication otherwise in English,” and for libraries’ foreign language materials. It also has exceptions for educational purposes and for compliance with federal law and the Constitution.
“We have to be able to talk to each other,” Richardson said.
The vote was surprisingly close, for a bill that’s co-sponsored by 18 legislators, including nine senators.
The co-sponsors include Sen. Mike Jorgenson, R-Hayden Lake.
Sen. Jim Hammond, R-Post Falls, rose on the Senate floor to explain his vote. “I think that the actual effort to unify our country by the English language is an important thing we need to do for our country,” he said. “I’m not convinced that this bill will do anything to improve the lot of the people I represent, and for that reason, I’m voting no.”