United States 119th Congress Status: In Committee 2 R cosponsors

S 542 — English Language Unity Act of 2025

Last action — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed Senate
  4. 4
    Passed House
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill is in committee in the Senate. Introduced February 12, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee vote, then a floor vote in the Senate.

Prognosis

Stalled 18% · moderate confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

Low

How often bills like it became law.

  • In Committee

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 2 sponsors

    1 primary, 1 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Single-party support

    Sponsorship is currently within one party (2 R).

Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.

Bill Text

How this bill changes current law

7 changes Share ↗

Compared against current U.S. Code AI-generated reading aid — verify against the official bill.

The bill establishes English as the official language of the United States and adds requirements for government functions and naturalization processes to be conducted in English.

  • 4 U.S.C.

    "CHAPTER 6--OFFICIAL LANGUAGE\nSec. 161. Official language of the United States\nThe official language of the United States is English."

    This introduces a new chapter declaring English as the official language.

  • 4 U.S.C.

    "Sec. 162. Preserving and enhancing the role of the official language\nRepresentatives of the Federal Government shall have an affirmative obligation to preserve and enhance the role of English as the official language of the Federal Government."

    This establishes a government obligation to promote the English language.

  • 4 U.S.C.

    "Sec. 163. Official functions of Government to be conducted in English\n(a) Scope.--For the purposes of this section--...\n(b) Official Functions.--The official functions of the Government of the United States shall be conducted in English."

    This mandates that official government functions be conducted in English.

  • 4 U.S.C.

    "Sec. 164. Uniform English language rule for naturalization\n(a) Uniform Language Testing Standard.--All citizens of the United States should be able to read and understand generally the English language text of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States, and the laws of the United States made in pursuance of the Constitution of the United States."

    This requires that naturalization applicants can read and understand key U.S. documents in English.

  • 4 U.S.C.

    "Sec. 164. Ceremonies.--All naturalization ceremonies shall be conducted in English."

    This requires all naturalization ceremonies to be held in English.

  • 1 U.S.C.

    "Sec. 9. General rules of construction for laws of the United States\n(a) English language requirements and workplace policies, whether in the public or private sector, shall be presumptively consistent with the laws of the United States."

    This adds rules for interpreting laws regarding the English language.

  • 1 U.S.C.

    "Sec. 9. (b) Any ambiguity in the English language text of the laws of the United States shall be resolved, in accordance with the last two articles of the Bill of Rights..."

    This mandates how ambiguities in U.S. laws written in English should be resolved.

Action History

  1. Introduced in Senate

  2. Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 1 co-sponsors · 545 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (1)

Not signed on (545)

545 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 545 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

civil-rights education
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

Who sponsors S 542?
S 542 is sponsored by Moreno, Bernie (Republican) and Cramer, Kevin (Republican).
What is the current status of S 542?
This bill is in committee in the Senate. Introduced February 12, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track S 542?
Track S 542 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.

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Last checked for changes 3 months ago · updated continuously

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