S. 678

Referred to Committee

English Language Unity Act of 2015

Introduced 3/9/2015•114th Congress•Senate

Congress.gov

Latest Action

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

3/9/2015 • Senate

Summary

English Language Unity Act of 2015

Establishes English as the official language of the United States.

Requires naturalization ceremonies and official functions of the U.S. government, subject to exceptions, to be conducted in English.

Declares that all citizens should be able to read and understand generally the English language text of U.S. laws.

Allows a person injured by a violation of this Act to obtain relief, including a declaratory judgment, in a civil action.

Declares that English language requirements and workplace policies, whether in the public or private sector, shall be presumptively consistent with U.S. laws. Requires any ambiguity in U.S. laws to be resolved in accordance with the rights retained by the people and the powers reserved to states under the Bill of Rights.

Directs the Department of Homeland Security to issue a proposed rule for uniform testing of the English language ability of candidates for naturalization based upon the principles that: (1) all citizens should be able to read and understand generally the English language text of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the laws of the United States; and (2) any exceptions to this standard should be limited to extraordinary circumstances, such as asylum.

Introduced in Senate • 3/9/2015

Enter your district to see how this bill affects your community

Topics & Subjects

Policy Area: Government Operations and Politics

Academic performance and assessmentsAdministrative law and regulatory proceduresCitizenship and naturalizationCivil actions and liabilityConstitution and constitutional amendmentsDepartment of Homeland SecurityForeign language and bilingual programsGovernment information and archivesState and local government operations