Thursday, May 18, 2006
Did Your Senator Win a Weathervane Award on English?
Senator James Inhofe (R-OK) offered an official English amendment to the immigration bill today which passed by a vote of 63-34. The Inhofe amendment specifies that, "no person has a right, entitlement, or claim to have the government of the United States or any of its officials or representatives act, communicate, perform or provide services, or provide materials in any language other than English."
Senate Republicans voted for the Inhofe amendment 52-1, while Senate Democrats opposed the amendment 11-32.
Ken Salazar (D-CO) offered an alternative official English amendment, which specified, "Nothing herein shall diminish or expand any existing rights under the law of the United States relative to services or materials provided by the government of the United States in any language other than English." Salazar's amendment defined "law" to specifically include "controlling Presidential Executive Orders."
Clinton Executive Order 13166 declared any person's language choice to be a protected civil right which entitles them to unlimited translations at no charge. The Salazar amendment could have the effect of codifying E.O. 13166. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) brought up E.O. 13166 time and time again during today's lengthy floor debate.
The Salazar proposal was also passed by a vote of 58-39. Senate Democrats backed Salazar 43-0, while Senate Republicans opposed it by a vote of 14-39.
Senators Bunning (R-KY), Martinez (R-FL) and Rockefeller (D-WVA) did not vote on either amendment.
Anti-English Weathervane Awards Winners
Republicans who switched their position by voting for Salazar's pro-E.O. 13166 English bill votes and thus undercut the Inhofe amendment they had just ostensibly voted for a few minutes beforehand were: Brownback (KS), Chafee (RI), Coleman (MN), DeWine (OH), Graham (SC), Hagel (NE), McCain (AZ), Murkowski (R-AK), Snowe (ME), Specter (PA), Voinovich (OH) and Warner (VA).
Democrats who switched their position by voting for Salazar's pro-E.O. 13166 English bill votes and thus undercut the Inhofe amendment they had just ostensibly voted for a few minutes beforehand were: Baucus (MT), Byrd (WV) [a official cosponsor of the Inhofe amendment!], Carper (DE), Conrad (ND), Dorgan (ND), T. Johnson (SD), Landrieu (LA), Lincoln (AR), Nelson (NE), Nelson (FL), and Pryor (AR).
If any of your Senators are among these "weathervanes," please let them know that you are extremely disappointed in their anti-English vote for the Salazar amendment. Their actions undercut the excellent Inhofe amendment and may have breathed new life into Clinton Executive Order 13166.
Now What?
According to Congressional Quarterly, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), a leading advocate of the immigration bill (S 2611), said the apparent contradiction between the Inhofe and Salazar official English amendments would be resolved in a House-Senate conference later on this year.
Should the Senate conferees succeed in insisting upon the bad Salazar official English amendment, it would be just one more reason to oppose the entire immigration bill.
Should the House conferees on the immigration bill prevail and keep out all guestworker/amnesty provisions AND adopt the Inhofe official English amendment, they will have produced a pretty good bill.
|posted by Jim on 8:13 PM|
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