Oklahoma will conduct all its business in English if voters vote yes for State Question 751 during the general election Nov. 2.

Based on Rep. Randy Terrill’s House Joint Resolution 1042, which passed through the Legislature in spring 2009, SQ 751 will amend the Oklahoma Constitution to require all state “official actions” be conducted in English, unless federal law requires differently, if passed. It would make Oklahoma the 31st state to pass an official English law.

Terrill, R-Moore, said there were three reasons why he found it necessary to propose HJR 1042 and those being to prevent Oklahoma from being compelled to deliver “services in any language other than English against our will,” to avoid “cost, conflicts and burdens that are inherently associated with bilingualism and multilingualism” and to try to act consistent with the immigration legislation passed in Oklahoma.

According to a SoonerPoll.com survey conducted in July, 85 percent of Oklahomans are in favor of designating English as the state’s official language, with 11 percent opposed. Four percent were undecided.

While English will be the official language for actions made by the state, the proposal does offer an exemption to the 39 federally recognized Native American languages, allowing their languages to be used.

The proposal does not deal with private speech and private business but instead helps legal immigrants assimilate into society, said Rep. George Faught, R-Muskogee and co-author of HJR 1042.

“If they learn the common language of the area, they will be more successful in life and will not be limited by language barriers,” Faught said. “If we continue to allow them not to be a part of the mainstream, they will be isolated and they will be relegated to a lower class because they can’t participate with the economy because they have a language barrier.”

While proponents of the state question say it is just for official state business, opponents believe the SQ 751 is subconsciously telling others outside the state that bilingualism is not something to aspire to.

“I think it is another step back for Oklahoma,” said Patricia B. Fennell, Latino Community Development Agency in Oklahoma president and CEO.

Living in a world economy, Fennell said she thinks we should maximize the modes of communication, but instead we are trying to limit the ability of Oklahomans to relate to the emerging Latino markets.

“In other countries being bilingual or trilingual is considered a privilege,” she said.

Fennell said she thinks SQ 751 stems from a misunderstanding that the Latino community is trying to change the culture and change the language but “nothing can be further from the truth.”

“I have never heard a Latino say ‘I don’t want to learn English’ or ‘I want to change the language of this country,’” Fennell said. “We believe that if you are going to live in this country and you want to be successful in this country, you need to learn English.”

While the term “official actions” has not been defined, Faught said he believes that will be among the first things the Legislature will do next session if the proposal passes.