House Bill hb1595

    Florida House of Representatives - 2002                HB 1595

        By Representative Melvin






  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to English as the official

  3         language of Florida; creating the Task Force on

  4         English as the Official Language of Florida;

  5         providing for membership and duties; requiring

  6         a report to the Governor and the Legislature;

  7         providing an effective date.

  8  

  9  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

10  

11         Section 1.  Task Force on English as the Official

12  Language of Florida; composition; duties.--

13         (1)  The Task Force on English as the Official Language

14  of Florida is created to study and implement s. 9, Art. II of

15  the State Constitution, which designates English as the

16  official language of the state. The Lieutenant Governor shall

17  serve as the chair of the task force and the remaining 10

18  members of the task force shall be appointed as follows:

19         (a)  The Governor shall appoint four members.

20         (b)  The President of the Senate shall appoint three

21  members.

22         (c)  The Speaker of the House of Representatives shall

23  appoint three members.

24  

25  Appointments shall be made within 60 days after the effective

26  date of this act and the first meeting of the task force shall

27  take place within 30 days after the appointments are made.

28  Staff from the Majority Offices of the Senate and the House of

29  Representatives shall provide staff services for the task

30  force.

31  

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida House of Representatives - 2002                HB 1595

    556-269-02






  1         (2)  The issues to be considered by the task force

  2  include, but are not limited to, the following:

  3         (a)  Requiring total immersion of non-English-speaking

  4  students in English classes.

  5         (b)  Requiring all educators at all levels to be

  6  competent speakers of English to the degree that no individual

  7  will have difficulty understanding the educator.

  8         (c)  Prohibiting the judicial branch and any

  9  department, agency, division, county, municipality, or other

10  subdivision of state government that is funded totally or

11  partially, directly or indirectly, by public funding to print

12  documents in any language other than English, except in the

13  course of carrying out specific duties such as advertising for

14  foreign services. All applications for licenses and permits

15  shall be printed in English. Any law, rule, or ordinance

16  presently in force shall be amended to comply with the

17  requirements of this act.

18         (3)  The task force shall submit a report to the

19  Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the

20  House of Representatives by January 31, 2003.

21         Section 2.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a

22  law.

23  

24            *****************************************

25                          HOUSE SUMMARY

26  
      Creates the Task Force on English as the Official
27    Language of Florida. Provides for membership and duties
      of the task force. Requires a report to the Governor and
28    the Legislature.

29  

30  

31  

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.