Official English to be Decided By Missouri Voters.Legislature's Action Gives Voters the Choice in November 2008 WASHINGTON -- The Missouri Senate The Missouri State Senate is the upper chamber of the Missouri General Assembly. It has 34 members, representing districts with an average population of 160,000. Its members serve four-year terms, with half the seats being up for election every two years. and House agreed on Friday to give the state's voters the chance to make English the official language of the state. Under H.J.R. 7, English would become the official language of all official proceedings in Missouri Missouri, state, United States Missouri (mĭz  r`ē, –ə), one of the midwestern states of the United States. . The proposal, which
passed the House and Senate by overwhelming margins, will most likely
appear on the general election ballot in Nov. 2008.
Though Missouri made English its official language in 1998, the existing legislation does not require the use of English in official government proceedings. The proposed Constitutional Amendment would make English the language of all official proceedings in the state and would require that English be used at any meeting of a public governmental body at which any public business is discussed or decided. The measure also notes exceptions where other languages may be used, such as at informal gatherings of legislators for social or ministerial Done under the direction of a supervisor; not involving discretion or policymaking. Ministerial describes an act or a function that conforms to an instruction or a prescribed procedure. It connotes obedience. functions. The proposed amendment marks the ninth time that voters have been given the opportunity to make English the official language of a state. Voters have approved the ballot initiative on all eight previous occasions, most recently in November 2006, when three out of every four Arizona voters cast favorable fa·vor·a·ble adj. 1. Advantageous; helpful: favorable winds. 2. Encouraging; propitious: a favorable diagnosis. 3. ballots on the measure. The states which have enacted English as their official language, the year of the vote, and the percentage of votes in favor are: Alabama (1990) - 89 percent, Alaska (1998) - 69 percent, Arizona (1988/2006) - 51 percent/74 percent, California (1986) - 73 percent, Colorado (1988) - 63 percent, Florida (1988) - 81 percent, and Utah (2000) - 67 percent. "Past history and current polls demonstrate that Americans wholeheartedly whole·heart·ed adj. Marked by unconditional commitment, unstinting devotion, or unreserved enthusiasm: wholehearted approval. whole support policies making English the official language," said Mauro E. Mujica, Chairman of U.S. English, Inc. "At a time when much of the public believes that their elected officials are out of touch, Missouri legislators are responsive to what they are hearing from their constituents. This is a beneficial amendment for all Missourians, and I look forward to working toward its success in 2008." U.S. English, Inc. is the nation's oldest and largest non-partisan citizens' action group dedicated to preserving the unifying role of the English language English language, member of the West Germanic group of the Germanic subfamily of the Indo-European family of languages (see Germanic languages). Spoken by about 470 million people throughout the world, English is the official language of about 45 nations. in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. . Founded by Sen. S Sen. abbr. 1. a. senate b. senator 2. or sen. senior Sen. or sen. 1. senate 2. senator 3. .I. Hayakawa, U.S. English, Inc. can be found on the web at: www.usenglish.org |
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