Legislation making English the official language of Oklahoma government passed the Oklahoma House of Representatives today.
“As our common American language, English and the ‘melting pot’ process it supports has made the United States the most successful multi-ethnic nation in history,” said state Rep. Randy Terrill, R-Moore. “Unfortunately, the drive to linguistically Balkanize our nation makes it harder for legal immigrants to assimilate while wasting limited taxpayer dollars.”
House Joint Resolution 1042, by Terrill, would send a proposed constitutional amendment to Oklahoma voters that would make English the official language of state government.
More than 30 states have already approved official English laws and so have more than 50 nations around the globe.
Under the provisions of the legislation, private individuals and businesses will still be allowed to use whatever language they choose. Only government activities would be affected.
The bill also contains exemptions for the languages of Oklahoma’s 39 federally recognized Native American tribes and allows the use of both Braille and sign language in government services. The legislation also contains a number of other specific, narrowly tailored exceptions for things like public health and safety, as well as trade, commerce and tourism.
Terrill said the bill will prevent the state from being compelled to provide taxpayer-funded services in any language other than English.
House Joint Resolution 1042 passed the Oklahoma House of Representatives on a 66-32 vote today. It now proceeds to the state Senate.
Illegal aliens in state prisons could soon face federal deportation, saving the state of Oklahoma millions of dollars.
House Bill 2245, by state Rep. Randy Terrill, would allow the Department of Corrections to send illegal alien inmates to the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The bill’s provisions apply only to criminals who are incarcerated for nonviolent crimes who have served at least half their sentence in state prison.
“The Illegal Alien Rapid Repatriation Act will shift the financial burden of imprisoning these criminals from the state to the federal government where it belongs,” said Terrill, R-Moore. “The immediate cost savings for the state would be more than $3 million.”
There are 166 offenders currently in state prisons that would be immediately eligible for transfer to federal facilities. The state currently pays about $20,000 per year to house each inmate, meaning the immediate annual cost savings would be more than $3 million.
Under the bill, the federal government would pay to house those offenders until they are processed for deportation.
“I think the bill is a good mechanism to relieve some of the state cost burden for holding short-term, non-violent deportable detainees,” said Justin Jones, director of the state Department of Corrections. “At the same time, this will not compromise public safety.”
Jones noted federal immigration officials currently wait to pick up inmates for deportation until they have completed their entire sentence.
There are currently 511 illegal aliens in state prisons with 69 percent of those criminals eligible for the proposed deportation program. (The other 157 are incarcerated for violent crimes and are therefore ineligible.)
In addition to the 166 inmates immediately eligible for deportation under the bill, another 188 illegal alien inmates should be eligible by the end of the next fiscal year.
Under the bill, any inmate shifted to federal custody who later illegally re-enters Oklahoma after his release would be required to serve the remainder of his state sentence in an Oklahoma prison, in addition to facing 20 years for immigration violations under federal law.
A similar law has been approved in Arizona with “much success,” Terrill noted.
“This is a common-sense approach to dealing with criminal illegal aliens,” Terrill said. “These criminals are in Oklahoma because of the failure of the federal government, so it’s only right that the feds share in the cost of their incarceration and facilitate their rapid deportation.”
House Bill 2245 passed unanimously out of the House Appropriations and Budget Subcommittee on Judiciary and Public Safety today. It now goes to the full House Appropriations and Budget Committee and then to the House floor.
Legislation making English the official language of Oklahoma government passed the Oklahoma House of Representatives today.
