PHOENIX (AP) Gov. Janet Napolitano vetoed a bill Monday that would have made English the state’s official language and required that government business be conducted in English.
Supporters said the measure was needed to encourage assimilation of immigrants, but opponents said it was an attack on illegal immigrants.
In her veto letter, Napolitano said non-English speakers should be encouraged to learn the language, but that the bill did not do anything to achieve that.
Lawmakers have yet to fund adequately school programs for English learners, she said. “Under these circumstances, making English the only language for official action is contradictory at best,” Napolitano wrote. |