English Language Unity Act of 2025
The English Language Unity Act of 2025 would designate English as the official language of the United States and impose a uniform English standard for naturalization. It requires government functions to be conducted in English (with a set of broad exceptions), establishes a standard that naturalization ceremonies and the core English-language texts (Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and federal laws) be understood in English, and creates general rules of construction for English-language texts of federal laws. The bill also directs the Department of Homeland Security to propose a rule for uniform English-language testing for naturalization within 180 days of enactment. The amendments would take effect 180 days after enactment. The measure includes protections for Native languages and cases where communications occur in languages other than English during official acts, as well as a civil-rights-oriented provision allowing relief for violations. In short, if enacted, the bill would tighten the primacy of English in federal operations and immigration processes, while preserving certain exceptions and Native-language rights, and it would guide how federal laws in English are interpreted.
Key Points
- 1English designated as the official language of the United States; federal government functions must be conducted in English, with specified exceptions.
- 2Uniform English-language rule for naturalization: reading and understanding English versions of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and federal laws; naturalization ceremonies to be conducted in English.
- 3General rules of construction for English-language texts of federal laws: ambiguities resolved in a way that protects rights and preserves state powers consistent with the Constitution; English-language requirements for laws are presumed to be consistent with the laws themselves.
- 4Implementing regulations: DHS must issue a proposed rule within 180 days to establish a uniform English-language testing standard for naturalization, focusing on the ability to read and understand core federal texts; exceptions limited to extraordinary circumstances.
- 5Section 165 provides protections for communications in languages other than English during official functions and preserves Native Alaskan/Native American languages; it also clarifies that the act should not disparage other languages or contradict the Constitution.