Among the 63 cosponsors of a bill sponsored by Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, that would declare English “the official language of the United States” are six congresspeople from Florida, all Republicans.
The Florida representatives listed as supporters of the bill are Sandy Adams, Vern Buchanan, Jeff Miller, Bill Posey, Dennis Ross and Allen West.
Buchanan’s stance, at least, is no surprise. At a campaign rally held in Sarasota on the anniversary of 9/11 last year, Buchanan fired up the conservative crowd by citing his support for an English-as-official-language bill.
Then-Senate candidate Marco Rubio also appeared at that rally, and later expressed support for official-language legislation. That didn’t prevent him, of course, from releasing a Spanish-language campaign ad. If King’s bill makes its way to the Senate, Rubio’s position is worth watching.
As The Minnesota Independent’s Andy Birkey notes:
[The bill] would prohibit federal employees from conducting official functions of government in languages other than English, with certain exceptions. It would not apply to teaching foreign languages, communicating with disabled Americans such as in American Sign Language, communicating on issues of national security and international relations, conducting census activities and in court proceedings.
