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Kenneth Kurtz District 58, ColdwaterKurtz News Kurtz Audio Kurtz Video Bio Photo Gallery Publications Useful Links Recommend someone for a congratulatory certificate Legislation Contact Rep. Kurtz Government Transparency Subscribe to RSS here |
KURTZ WANTS ENGLISH AS OFFICIAL LANGUAGEMarch 10, 2009 State Rep. Ken Kurtz today introduced legislation designating English as the state's official language, which would save taxpayer dollars and create a more efficient state government. Under the Kurtz bill, state departments would not publish documents in a language other than English. The Secretary of State's office currently prints driving tests in 20 languages, and the Michigan.gov Web site has content in 11 languages. "We all are a nation of immigrants who have come together under one system of government, one constitution and one language," said Kurtz, R-Coldwater. "It's so important that new U.S. citizens understand English because it is the ticket to a better quality of life. Learning English has become even more essential in the 21st century because our language is predominate on the Internet." A 2006 poll conducted by MRG Research concluded that 82 percent of Michigan residents support making English the official language of the state. A 2006 Zogby poll concluded that 71 percent of Hispanic voters in the U.S. agree the country should make English the official language of government operations. "Our state could cut costs by printing government documents only in English," Kurtz said. "At a time when we're facing huge state budget deficits, we must take every opportunity to spend taxpayer money more wisely." If approved, Michigan would join several other states with an official language designation. |
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