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Kansas: [Gov.] Sebelius signs bill
making English official language of state

May 12, 2007
The Associated Press

TOPEKA, Kan. - Gov. Kathleen Sebelius signed legislation Friday making English the state's official language, joining at least 29 other states that have made English their official or common language. The new law takes effect July 1.

It was among 18 bills Sebelius signed, including measures enacting tougher requirements for the Kansas Offender Registry, clarifying Kansas Consumer Protection Act coverage of health care providers and requiring schools to adopt anti-bullying policies.

Last week, Sebelius expressed reservations about the English bill, saying she didn't think it was necessary and didn't go far enough to help people learn the language. At one point, the bill included $500,000 to pay for English classes, but that was removed from the version the governor received.
"Having money for the programs is something that makes sense, and she hopes the Legislature does something next year about providing money for teaching English," said Sebelius spokeswoman Nicole Corcoran.

The new law says no state or local government agency has to provide documents or hold meetings in any language except English, but nothing prevents them from offering documents in another language or using interpreters at meetings.

After protests from advocates for immigrants, legislators reworked the bill with an eye toward making it appear less punitive. Even so, Hispanic groups criticized the legislation as anti-immigrant. Supporters say they were responding to constituent demands to do something about illegal immigration. They also said the bill was a way to encourage people to learn English.

"The message is: English is the only valid language for communication in our state, but tough if you can't speak it very well because we aren't going to help you learn it," said Melinda Lewis of El Centro Inc., a Hispanic advocacy group in the Kansas City area.

This article is republished by ProEnglish, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization, under fair-use copyright law. The Associated Press retains all copyrights.

For the text of this bill, and information about the status of English in Kansas, click here.