S. 857 requires all state agencies to provides services in English. S 857 was put on “special order” in the Senate on Tuesday. Though English became the official language of South Carolina in 1987, decisions about whether state taxpayers will pay for multilingual services like welfare and driver’s license applications are currently made by state agencies, defying the actions intended by the legislature. Numerous studies have shown that excessive language assistance makes it less likely that immigrants will learn English. S. 857 will fulfill the intent of the earlier law, requiring government agencies to conduct official business in English and to promote English learning among immigrants. The legislation is carefully drawn to comply with federal law and legal precedent, and leaves agencies the flexibility to address emergencies and the needs of the justice system. I’m a cosponsor of this legislation for 2 reasons: 1-This policy will encourage immigrants to learn English as they transition into our society. 2-Offering other languages creates a big problem as to deciding which ones to include in the services.
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