CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF ARIZONA
 
                 ARTICLE 28.   ENGLISH AS THE OFFICIAL LANGUAGE
 
                       A.R.S. Const. Art. 28, sec. 1 (1992)
 
 1. English as the official language; applicability
 
   Section 1. (1) The English language is the official language of the State of Arizona.
 
   (2) As the official language of this State, the English language is the language of the ballot, the public schools and all government functions and actions.
 
   (3)(a) This Article applies to:
 
         (i) The legislative, executive and judicial branches of government.
 
         (ii) All political subdivisions, departments, agencies, organizations, and instrumentalities of this State, including local governments and municipalities.
 
         (iii) All statutes, ordinances, rules, orders, programs and policies.
 
         (iv) All government officials and employees during the performance of government business.
 
 
      (b) As used in this article, the phrase "This State and all political
subdivisions of this State" shall include every entity, person, action or item described in this Section, as appropriate to the circumstances.
 
 

                      A.R.S. Const. Art. 28, sec. 2 (1992)
 
 2. Requiring this State to preserve, protect and enhance English
 
   Section 2. This State and all political subdivisions of this State shall take all reasonable steps to preserve, protect and enhance the role of the English language as the official language of the State of Arizona.
 

 
                       A.R.S. Const. Art. 28, sec. 3 (1992)
 
 3. Prohibiting this State from using or requiring the use of languages other than English; exceptions
 
   Section 3. (1) Except as provided in Subsection (2):
 
      (a) This State and all political subdivisions of this State shall act in English and in no other language.
 
      (b) No entity to which this Article applies shall make or enforce a law, order, decree or policy which requires the use of a language other than English.
 
      (c) No governmental document shall be valid, effective or enforceable
unless it is in the English language.
 
   (2) This State and all political subdivisions of this State may act in a language other than English under any of the following circumstances:
 
      (a) To assist students who are not proficient in the English language, to the extent necessary to comply with federal law, by giving educational instruction in a language other than English to provide as rapid as possible a transition to English.
 
      (b) To comply with other federal laws.
 
      (c) To teach a student a foreign language as a part of a required or
voluntary educational curriculum.
 
      (d) To protect public health or safety.
 
      (e) To protect the rights of criminal defendants or victims of crime.
 

                       A.R.S. Const. Art. 28, sec. 4 (1992)
 
 
 4. Enforcement; standing
 
   Section 4. A person who resides in or does business in this State shall have standing to bring suit to enforce this Article in a court of record of the State. The Legislature may enact reasonable limitations on the time and manner of bringing suit under this subsection.
 
 
                         ARKANSAS CODE OF 1987 ANNOTATED
 

Sec.  1-4-117.  Official language
 
   (a) The English language shall be the official language of the State of Arkansas.
 
   (b) This section shall not prohibit the public schools from performing their duty to provide equal educational opportunities to all children.
 

CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA
 
Cal Const Art III sec. 6
 
Sec. 6.  Official language
 
(a) Purpose.
 
English is the common language of the people of the United States of America and the State of California. This section is intended to preserve, protect and strengthen the English language, and not to supersede any of the rights guaranteed to the people by this Constitution.
 
(b)  English as the Official Language  of California.
 
 English is the official language  of the State of California.
 
(c) Enforcement.
 
The Legislature shall enforce this section by appropriate legislation. The Legislature and officials of the State of California shall take all steps necessary to insure that the role of English as the common language of the State of California is preserved and enhanced. The Legislature shall make no law which diminishes or ignores the role of English as the common language of the State of California.
 
(d) Personal Right of Action and Jurisdiction of Courts.
 
Any person who is a resident of or doing business in the State of California shall have standing to sue the State of California to enforce this section, and the Courts of record of the State of California shall have jurisdiction to hear cases brought to enforce this section. The Legislature may provide reasonable and appropriate limitations on the time and manner of suits brought under this section.
 
 
CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF COLORADO
 
 Section 30a.  Official language
 
 
   The  English  language is the  official language  of the State of Colorado.
 
   This section is self executing; however, the General Assembly may enact laws to implement this section.
 
 
 
 
 

                     CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF FLORIDA
 
                              AS REVISED IN 1968
 
 
                             Fla. Const., Art. II, sec. 9
 
 
SECTION 9.   English is the official language  of Florida
 
(a)  English is the official language  of the State of Florida.
 
   (b) The legislature shall have the power to enforce this section by appropriate legislation.
 
 
THE CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF HAWAII
 
 
HRS Const. Art. XV, sec. 4 (1991)
 
 
Section 4.
 
    English  and Hawaiian shall be the  official languages  of Hawaii, except that Hawaiian shall be required for public acts and transactions only as provided by law.
 

HAWAII CODE ANNOTATED

                                 HRS sec. 1-13 (1991)
 
 
Sec. 1-13.  Official languages
 
    English  and Hawaiian are the  official languages  of Hawaii. Whenever there is found to exist any radical and irreconcilable difference between the English and Hawaiian version of any of the laws of the State, the English version shall be held binding. Hawaiian shall not be required for public acts and transactions.
 
 

 ILLINOIS REVISED STATUTES
 
 
OFFICIAL LANGUAGE ACT
 
Ill. Rev. Stat. ch. 1, par. 3005 (1991)
 

3005.  English language
 
   sec. 1.  The  official language  of the State of Illinois is  English.
 
 
INDIANA STATUTES ANNOTATED
 
Sec. 1-2-10-1.  English.
 
   The  English  language is adopted as the  official language  of the state of Indiana. [P.L.1-1984, sec. 1.]
 
 
            KENTUCKY REVISED STATUTES ANNOTATED;
 
 
 Sec. 2.013   State language
 
English is designated as the official state language of Kentucky.
 

LOUISIANA STATUTES
 
 
La. Const. Art. XII, sec. 4 (1991)
 
 
Sec.  4.  Preservation of Linguistic and Cultural Origins
 
   Section 4. The right of the people to preserve, foster, and promote their respective historic linguistic and cultural origins is recognized.
 
 
MISSISSIPPI CODE ANNOTATED

Sec. 3-3-31.  State language.
 
   The  English language  is the official  language  of the State of Mississippi.
 
 

CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF NEBRASKA
 
Neb. Const., Art. I, sec. 27 (1990)
 
 
Sec. 27.   English language to be official
 
   The  English language  is hereby declared to be the  official language  of this state, and all official proceedings, records and publications shall be in such language, and the common school branches shall be taught in said language in public, private, denominational and parochial schools.  (Adopted, 1920.)
 
 

GENERAL STATUTES OF NORTH CAROLINA
 

sec. 145-12. State language
 
   (a) Purpose. -- English is the common language of the people of the United States of America and the State of North Carolina. This section is intended to preserve, protect and strengthen the English language, and not to supersede any of the rights guaranteed to the people by the Constitution of the United States or the Constitution of North Carolina.
 
   (b)  English as the Official Language  of North Carolina. --  English is the   official language  of the State of North Carolina.
 
   (c) Expired.
 
 
 

NORTH DAKOTA CENTURY CODE

Sec. 54-02-13.   English as official language.
 
The  English language is the official language  of the state of North Dakota.
 
 
 

CONSTITUTION OF NEW MEXICO

ADOPTED JANUARY 21, 1911
 

N.M. Const. art. XX, sec. 12 (1991)
 
 
Section  12.   [Publication of laws in English and Spanish.]
 
   For the first twenty years after this constitution goes into effect all laws passed by the legislature shall be published in both the English and Spanish languages and thereafter such publication shall be made as the legislature may provide.
 
 
 

LAWS OF PUERTO RICO ANNOTATED

Sec. 51. Official languages

In all the departments of the Commonwealth Government and in all the courts of this island, and in all public offices the English language and the Spanish language shall be used indiscriminately;  and, when necessary, translations and oral interpretations shall be made from one language to the other so that all parties interested may understand any proceedings or communications made therein.
 
 

CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA ANNOTATED

Sec. 1-1-696.  Official State language.
 
   The  English language is the official language  of the State of South Carolina.
 

TENNESSEE CODE ANNOTATED
 

4-1-404.   English -- Official  and legal  language
 
     English  is hereby established as the  official  and legal  language  of Tennessee. All communications and publications, including ballots, produced by governmental entities in Tennessee shall be in English, and instruction in the public schools and colleges of Tennessee shall be conducted in English unless the nature of the course would require otherwise.
 
 
 
CODE OF VIRGINIA
 

Sec. 22.1-212.1.   English as official language
 
    English  shall be designated as the  official language  of the Commonwealth of Virginia. School boards shall have no obligation to teach the standard curriculum, except courses in foreign languages, in a language other than English. School boards shall endeavor to provide instruction in the English language which shall be designed to promote the education of students for whom English is a second language.