State Senate committee delays bills requiring English


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<http://blog.al.com/spotnews/about.html> David White -- The Birmingham
News April 24, 2008 9:36 AM


The Senate Governmental Affairs Committee this morning delayed
consideration of a bill that would require official actions of the state
to be in English, unless federal or other state laws required use of
other languages.

The committee also delayed voting on a bill that would require driver
license's exams to be given only in English.

The committee voted 5-4 to delay consideration. With no more than six
meeting days left in the legislative session after today, the committee
in effect killed both bills by delaying them, said the bills sponsor,
Sen. Scott Beason, R- Gardendale.

He said the bills were simply an attempt to unify the people of the
state by encouraging use of one language.

But opponents said the bills would discriminate against American
citizens who are not fluent in English. Sen. Vivian Davis Figures,
D-Mobile, likened the sponsor of the bill to former Gov. George Wallace
and his 1963 stand in the schoolhouse door that attempted to block
blacks from attending the University of Alabama.

"I think about you standing in the doorhourse just the way Governor
Wallace did so many years ago," Figures said. "We need to be doing
things and working together and bringing people together rather than
these emotional issues all the time that just pull people apart."

Sen. Zeb Little, D-Cullman, warned against intolerance and made
reference to Nazi Germany.

Beeson said requiring English usage certainly is not racist.



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