by the Congressional Committee on Economic and Educational Opportunities

About the authors: During the 104th Congress, the Committee on Economic and Educational Opportunities was a House Standing Committee chaired by republican representative Bill Goodling of Pennsylvania.

Editor’s Note: The following viewpoint is excerpted from a congressional committee report advocating the passage of the English Language Empowerment Act of 1996, a bill designed to make English the official language of the United States government. The bill did not pass, but was reintroduced into the House of Representatives in January 1997.

We are a nation of immigrants. Our history has been shaped by the contributions of immigrants of different cultures, religions and languages from around the world. We are proud of our nation’s ability to assimilate people from around the world into one cohesive society. The purpose...