Support H.R. 768, to Rescind Executive Order 13166, the "Multilingual Mandate"

Executive Order 13166 says that the failure of any entity or government agency which receives federal funds to provide services in languages other than English is likely to constitute prohibited "discrimination on the basis of national origin" under Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights law. Signed by President Clinton on August 11, 2000, the order directs all federal agencies to draft plans to "improve access to federally conducted or federally assisted programs for persons who, as a result of national origin, are limited in their English proficiency." H.R. 768 would repeal this executive order.

H.R. 768 would nullify the executive order, and prohibit the executive branch from enforcing any similar executive order.

ProEnglish believes that the executive order must be rescinded for the following reasons:

It uses power that was never delegated by Congress and has been repeatedly denied to the Executive Branch by the courts. When Congress wrote the 1964 Civil Rights Law, language was never considered a basis for determining discrimination. It is self-evident that a person's national origin, which cannot be changed, is not the same as the language someone speaks. Numerous court decisions have rejected attempts to equate language used with discrimination.

The order is another huge un-funded federal mandate . The order directs federal funds recipients to pay for the enormous cost of providing translation and interpreter services from their own funds. There is no federal reimbursement. It covers tens of thousands of state and local government agencies as well as government contractors. It affects schools, libraries, hospitals, unemployment offices, fire and police departments, public health clinics, and countless private agencies that receive direct or indirect support from the federal government. The order says that compliance is not limited to written translations, meaning that oral interpreter services have to be made available unless there were compelling reasons not to do so. This means hiring tens of thousands of additional employees as translators and interpreters. The order's cost to taxpayers at all levels of government could easily total tens of billions of dollars.

The order has an enormous impact. Although it states that it "does not create any new rights or benefits," the order's redefinition of "national origins discrimination" as equivalent to language will have an enormous impact. The executive order is already being implemented in the health-care field. The American Medical Association (AMA) warns that the executive order could create serious access problems, even for people with limited English proficiency.

The action is certain to result in more litigation. The order will add billions of dollars in legal costs to settle civil rights lawsuits against both government and private agencies, which are found not to be in "meaningful compliance" with the order. It also opens up a whole new field of medical malpractice liability.

The order defies common sense. The requirement to provide services in a multiplicity of languages will introduce confusion and error into government operations, encumber or impede the delivery of government services, and unfairly penalize people who are not bilingual.

ProEnglish asks all Americans to help oppose Executive Order 13166, by contacting their congressmen and urge them to cosponsor and actively support HR 768. For help drafting your letter, or to fax or e-mail your letter, Visit our Legislative Action Page . (You can fax directly from your home computer, with no Fax machine, and no toll charges!) For more information about pro-English legislation, including cosponsor lists and links to official texts, click here .


Action Urge Congress to defend English Model official English statute Donate Current Legislation State Profile Issues Official English Bilingual Education English on the Job Citizenship and Immigration Bilingual Ballots Puerto Rican Statehood Ending E.O. 13166, the "Multilingual Mandate" Contact us: 1601 N. Kent St. Suite 1100 Arlington, VA 22209 ph: (703) 816-8821		Support H.R. 768, to Rescind Executive Order 13166, the "Multilingual Mandate" Executive Order 13166 says that the failure of any entity or government agency which receives federal funds to provide services in languages other than English is likely to constitute prohibited "discrimination on the basis of national origin" under Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights law. Signed by President Clinton on August 11, 2000, the order directs all federal agencies to draft plans to "improve access to federally conducted or federally assisted programs for persons who, as a result of national origin, are limited in their English proficiency." H.R. 768 would repeal this executive order. H.R. 768 would nullify the executive order, and prohibit the executive branch from enforcing any similar executive order. ProEnglish believes that the executive order must be rescinded for the following reasons: It uses power that was never delegated by Congress and has been repeatedly denied to the Executive Branch by the courts. When Congress wrote the 1964 Civil Rights Law, language was never considered a basis for determining discrimination. It is self-evident that a person's national origin, which cannot be changed, is not the same as the language someone speaks. Numerous court decisions have rejected attempts to equate language used with discrimination. The order is another huge un-funded federal mandate . The order directs federal funds recipients to pay for the enormous cost of providing translation and interpreter services from their own funds. There is no federal reimbursement. It covers tens of thousands of state and local government agencies as well as government contractors. It affects schools, libraries, hospitals, unemployment offices, fire and police departments, public health clinics, and countless private agencies that receive direct or indirect support from the federal government. The order says that compliance is not limited to written translations, meaning that oral interpreter services have to be made available unless there were compelling reasons not to do so. This means hiring tens of thousands of additional employees as translators and interpreters. The order's cost to taxpayers at all levels of government could easily total tens of billions of dollars. The order has an enormous impact. Although it states that it "does not create any new rights or benefits," the order's redefinition of "national origins discrimination" as equivalent to language will have an enormous impact. The executive order is already being implemented in the health-care field. The American Medical Association (AMA) warns that the executive order could create serious access problems, even for people with limited English proficiency. The action is certain to result in more litigation. The order will add billions of dollars in legal costs to settle civil rights lawsuits against both government and private agencies, which are found not to be in "meaningful compliance" with the order. It also opens up a whole new field of medical malpractice liability. The order defies common sense. The requirement to provide services in a multiplicity of languages will introduce confusion and error into government operations, encumber or impede the delivery of government services, and unfairly penalize people who are not bilingual. ProEnglish asks all Americans to help oppose Executive Order 13166, by contacting their congressmen and urge them to cosponsor and actively support HR 768. For help drafting your letter, or to fax or e-mail your letter, Visit our Legislative Action Page . (You can fax directly from your home computer, with no Fax machine, and no toll charges!) For more information about pro-English legislation, including cosponsor lists and links to official texts, click here .