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For Immediate Release
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Representative Steve King
5th Congressional District of Iowa |
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April 3rd, 2008
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King Applauds for Iowa Court Ruling
Upholding State Official English Law |
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Washington, D.C.—Congressman Steve King today cheered an Iowa court decision to uphold Iowa’s English Language Reaffirmation Act that made English the official language of Iowa in 2002. King led the lawsuit with nine others to make certain the law was respected and followed by the Iowa State government.
The English Language Reaffirmation Act, introduced by then-Senator King, passed the State Legislature in early 2002 and was signed by Governor Vilsack. Despite the passage of the official English law that requires all official documents to be printed in English, the Iowa Secretary of State continued to produce voter registration forms in foreign languages. The Secretary of State’s office argued that it has a right to produce voter registration forms in the Spanish, Vietnamese, Laotian and Bosnian languages.
“This Iowa court ruling upholds our official English law. No one is above Iowa law, not even the Iowa state government.”
“I am thankful for the careful and thorough ruling in this decision. The Judge’s decision made clear - the foreign language voter registration forms produced by the Secretary of State violated Iowa’s English Language Reaffirmation Act.”
“I authored the English Language Reaffirmation Act when I served in the Iowa Senate and I can tell you that we wrote it to have meaning. This ruling respects the intent of the legislature who passed the law and the Governor who signed it.
“English is our official language. The English language unites us a state and as a nation. E Pluribis Unum - out of many, we are one- with a common language. I believe that, and am thankful that our official English law has been upheld.”
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