The letter warned that English-only legislation passed this past session failed to "protect the civil rights of limited English proficient persons." It even threatened a loss of federal funding if the legislation goes forward. Congresswoman Mary Fallin along with our U.S. Senators and other representatives sent a joint letter back to the Department of Justice.
Fallin says, "We do not feel it's acceptable for the federal government to try to strong-arm us in making a decision by threatening the removal of federal funding." The response letter states that three other states, Arizona, Iowa and Idaho, have all passed similar legislation in recent years without being challenged by the Department of Justice.
The English-only amendment is set to be voted on by Oklahoma voters on the November 2010 ballot.
