West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin vetoed a
bill Saturday that would have made English the state's official
language not because he didn't like the idea, but because the
legislation had a technical flaw. Manchin, who had co-sponsored
unsuccessful English-only bills when he was a lawmaker, cited the state
constitution, which limits each piece of legislation to one topic. The
original bill, on increasing the size of local park and recreation
boards, was amended during the final hours of the regular legislative
session. Efforts to make English the state's official language have
been introduced annually since the late 1990s. West Virginia has the
highest percentage of English-only speakers in the nation, with only
2.7 percent of its residents speaking a language other than English at
home, according to the 2000 Census. Twenty-seven states have adopted
English as their official language, according to U.S. English Inc., a
Washington-based advocacy group. [more]
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