English-only bill heard

CARSON CITY -- Sen. Bob Beers said Friday that Nevada would be joining the government mainstream if the Legislature adopted a bill making English the state's official language.

Beers, R-Las Vegas, testified in support of Senate Bill 325, which he said would make Nevada more competitive in the global marketplace by helping to ensure that the state's residents can speak English, the language of international commerce.

Twenty-nine states, the latest being Idaho, have passed statutes similar to the legislation being considered in Nevada, Beers said.

"I believe SB325 would affirm the melting pot tradition that we've long had in the United States by providing a strong incentive for immigrants in this state to learn English and help them achieve the American dream," Beers said.

Beers introduced the bill on behalf of former Assemblywoman Sharron Angle, R-Reno, who sought the measure after the 2005 session but did not run for re-election in 2006.

The bill was heard by the Senate Government Affairs Committee, which took no immediate action.

With limited exceptions, the bill would require all official state proceedings to be conducted in English, require the public records of the state to be made available in English only and require publications to be printed in English only. The legislation would not affect local government entities.

Beers said the bill would make for better drivers. Driver's license information is made available in other languages, but Nevada's road signs are in English only, he said. Requiring those who take the drivers test to do so using English would ensure that drivers could read those signs, Beers said.

Some of the exceptions to the proposed English-only requirement would include international tourism efforts, classes that use other languages to teach students with limited English skills, and the delivery of emergency services.

The measure drew strong responses from supporters and opponents who testified.

Ed Hamilton, who described himself as active in the Asian-American community in Las Vegas, said that about half of the world's population is Asian and speaks hundreds -- if not thousands -- of languages.

"But now that we are in America, we all want to speak English because we do want to participate in the mainstream of American life, the land of opportunity," Hamilton said.

Matthew Santos, representing a group called U.S. English, which supports efforts across the country to make English the official language, also testified in support of the proposal.

"This bill works to send a message to immigrants that it is essential to learn English in our society," Santos said.

The law would not supersede federal requirements that assist non-English speakers, such as the provision of foreign language ballots in some voting areas, Santos said. But it would halt the expansion of such provisions by state officials, he said.

But Robert Gomez, a Las Vegas business owner and chairman of the board of directors of the Latin Chamber of Commerce, said the issue is not whether Hispanic immigrants want to learn English but the time it takes for them to assimilate into American culture. Not allowing immigrants to learn how to drive by refusing to provide information in foreign languages will just mean that many of these people won't be able to learn how to drive, Gomez said.

Rene Cantu, another Latin chamber board member, called the proposal offensive and divisive.

Senate Minority Leader Dina Titus, D-Las Vegas, criticized the measure and said it won't be cost-free. The proposal would require state agencies to record any expenditures for non-English efforts, Titus said.

Titus then asked whether a state agency would have to record the cost of using the state's name, Nevada, which is a Spanish word.

"This is going to be a bureaucratic nightmare," Titus said. "It's going to create a lot of red tape."