- A bill pending in the U.S. House of Representatives would
require the federal government to provide "translation services"
to welfare recipients who don't speak English, mimicking elements of a
Clinton-era executive order that requires federal agencies to provide "programs
and activities normally provided in English" to non-English-speaking
residents.
-
- The measure, say critics, will effectively elevate the
inability to speak English as "a protected civil right" and will
likely close the door of opportunity in America to many immigrants "since
English is the key that unlocks" that door.
-
- Jim Boulet Jr., executive director of www.englishfirst.org
English First, a Virginia-based group that advocates making English the
official language for all government and educational institutions in the
U.S., said H.R. 3459 ñ introduced last December and which currently
has 13 co-sponsors - "would codify the right of welfare recipients
to receive all services in the language of their choice."
-
- The bill "is much more timely" now because
"the House is expected to vote on welfare reform in May," Boulet
told WorldNetDaily.
-
- Elements of the bill resemble provisions outlined in
an executive order signed by President Bill Clinton Aug. 11, 2000. Titled,
"Improving Access to Services For Persons With Limited English Proficiency,"
the order calls on the federal government "to improve access to federally
conducted and federally assisted programs and activities for persons who,
as a result of national origin, are limited in their English proficiency."
-
- Clinton's order requires that the "federal government
provides and funds an array of services that can be made accessible to
otherwise eligible persons who are not proficient in the English language.
To this end, each federal agency shall examine the services it provides
and develop and implement a system by which LEP persons can meaningfully
access those services consistent with, and without unduly burdening, the
fundamental mission of the agency."
-
- The House bill, called the TANF [Temporary Assistance
for Needy Families] Recipients' Lifeline Act, generally is intended to
"reform the program of block grants to states for temporary assistance
for needy families."
-
- Specifically, under Section 4, there is a "requirement
to provide translation services for non-English speakers," which means
states accepting federal welfare money "shall use appropriate bilingual
personnel and printed material in the administration of the state program
- in which a substantial number of recipients of assistance" speak
some other language besides English.
-
- The bill, which amends the 1996 Welfare Reform Act, was
sponsored by Rep. Nydia Velazquez, D-N.Y. No Republicans have co-sponsored
the bill.
-
- Supporters say the U.S. has always been a multilingual
society and its laws and public policies should reflect that.
-
- "At the time of the nation's founding, it was commonplace
to hear as many as 20 languages spoken in daily life, including Dutch,
French, German and numerous Native American languages," says an American
Civil Liberties Union briefing paper. "Even the Articles of Confederation
were printed in German, as well as English."
-
- Hispanic Washington Post Writer's Group columnist Ruben
Navarrette calls English-only laws "insulting."
-
- "English-only laws are pointless and insulting.
Governments should not exact loyalty oaths," he said.
-
- But Boulet said Clinton's order already "requires
all recipients of federal funds to be ready to function in any language
at any time." And, he says, new legislation expanding those requirements
are likely to have a negative effect on state and federal government processes.
-
- "My bill, unlike any other legislation, will repeal
the five-year time limit on welfare assistance. It will also revoke the
unfair - and unjust - provisions which deny legal immigrants the right
to receive welfare benefits," Velasquez ñ who was born in Puerto
Rico ñ said in a statement in December.
-
- Boulet said the language requirement would force states
to do much more.
-
- "What E.O. 13166 will do to welfare offices, especially
after clever liberal lawyers figure this out, [will be] to make it well-nigh
impossible to deny benefits to anyone who says the magic words, 'I don't
speak English,'" he said. "Since English is the key that unlocks
the door of opportunity in America, any federal policy which discourages
learning English will not help our nation's poor people get off the dole."
-
- Boulet said one solution - "given the Bush administration's
current reluctance to repeal E.O. 13166 outright" - is to include
an exception in any new welfare reform measure that Clinton's order specifically
"does not apply."
-
-
- © 2002 WorldNetDaily.com Jon E. Dougherty is a staff
reporter and columnist for WorldNetDaily
|
