Terrill Warns Against Bait & Switch Trick on Official English

Senate Democrat leaders used a rare procedural maneuver to gut the Official English law today and force Oklahomans to continue paying the exorbitant cost of unnecessary translation services.

"If Senate Democrats oppose Official English, they should simply have the intestinal fortitude to kill it cleanly and be accountable to the voters," said Terrill, R-Moore. "Instead, they hope procedural maneuvers will obscure the fact that they are denying the people of Oklahoma the right to vote on Official English."

Senate Bill 163, as authored by Terrill in the state House, would put the English question to a statewide vote next November. The proposed constitutional amendment would make English the official language of state government in Oklahoma.

If Terrill's language had passed, Oklahoma taxpayers would no longer have to pay for state documents and signs to be produced in multiple languages and citizens will no longer have to "select English" when contacting a state agency by phone. Currently, Oklahoma taxpayers can be forced at any time to pay for translation of any of the more than 300 languages spoken in the United States.

However, Senate Democrat leaders used an extremely rare procedural maneuver, known as a substitute motion, to gut the Official English bill and replace it with language that makes vague references to the importance of English while still forcing working families in Oklahoma to pay for expensive and unnecessary translation services.

"The Democrats' passing off their proposal as Official English is like a taxidermist telling you he's just like your vet because either way you get your dog back," Terrill said. "Make no mistake: With the Democrats' substitute language adopted, Official English is probably dead in Oklahoma this year."

Tim Schultz, director of government relations for U.S. English, said lawmakers who supported the substitute motion and voted to gut the Official English bill will likely pay at the polls.

"We consider any vote for the substitute as a vote against Official English," Schultz said. "We'd like to give Oklahoma voters a good report on their senators. We don't want this to be a partisan issue. But we are fully prepared to tell the voters the truth about any senator who votes to kill Official English. And those senators will be held accountable in November."

Terrill noted the Official English proposal received overwhelming bipartisan support in the Oklahoma House of Representatives where it passed 70-28. He said it is surprising Senate Democrats would now try to thwart the will of the people as voiced through their elected representatives in both political parties.

"I know that Senate President Mike Morgan is term limited this year and looking for new work," Terrill said. "If he's trying to pass a corpse of a bill off as 'Official English,' I guess he's auditioning for a starring role in the remake of 'Weekend at Bernie's.'"