A proposed bill that would seek to declare English as Ohio's official language already is receiving heated criticism even before it reaches the House of Representatives at the end of this year. Considering that the United States has no official national language, and with all the more urgent issues facing Ohio at the present time, developing the legislation seems to be a waste of legislators' time and effort.
The law also could convey a negative message to non-English speaking populations. Instead of attempting to protect the dominant language, Ohio should embrace cultural differentiation and take steps to adapt to the growing number of Spanish-speaking citizens.
If passed, in addition to simply declaring Ohio as officially English speaking, the so-called Ohio English Unity Act would require state agencies to produce records only in English. That would make information sources such as crime victim's forms and pamphlets, previously offered in Spanish by the Ohio attorney general's office, only available in English. The reason those sources are produced in Spanish is to accommodate a diverse population, and that proposal would halt Ohio's modern adaptation. There is absolutely no reason for Ohio to be shutting out people of different cultural backgrounds.
Although some believe that not having an official language divides the state, without a national language already declared, it seems as if those claims simply do not apply. As the state and country's demographics change, efforts should be made to avoid obsolete, disrespectful laws like that from being passed. With the current problems of keeping jobs within Ohio and public education, Ohio simply has more important things to deal with than passing a law that wastes public officials' time and embraces ignorance.
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English-only bill a step backward
