HONORED FOR PROMOTING ENGLISH AS THE NATION’S UNIFYING LANGUAGE

Washington, May 8, 2008 - Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-Ocala) today was honored with the “A in English” Award by U.S. English for his efforts to promote English as the unifying language of the United States. “Today we are honoring those members of Congress who understand that the common bond of the English language allows us to get the most from our diverse nation,” said Mauro Mujica, Chairman of U.S. English since 1993. Born in Chile, Mujica immigrated to the United States and learned firsthand the obstacles facing non-English speakers. A naturalized citizen, Mujica holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Architecture from Columbia University. He is fluent in Spanish, English, and French, has a working knowledge of German and Italian, and is now studying Russian. Mujica is an international architect with a career spanning 28 years, his biography can be found in Who’s Who of the World.

“The Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution are written in English, the language of our government,” explained Stearns. “Reading, writing, and speaking English are essential to succeeding in our society. Those who fail to learn English isolate themselves educationally, economically, and culturally, separating themselves from fully enjoying the freedoms we have. By promoting English, we are promoting full participation in the American experience.”

U.S. English rated members using their position on five issues critical to promoting the English language. Two of these key issues were amendments offered by Stearns in 2007, protecting employees who institute English-in-the workplace policies from lawsuits, and preventing the IRS from using Spanish on its website.

U.S. English, Inc. is the nation's oldest and largest non-partisan citizens' action group dedicated to preserving the unifying role of the English language in the United States. Founded in 1983 by the late Sen. S.I. Hayakawa of California, U.S. English, Inc., (www.usenglish.org) now has more than 1.8 million members.