U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, a candidate for the Georgia Republican Party’s U.S. Senate nomination, yesterday signed on as the 19th cosponsor of H.R. 1772, a bill that codifies official English as the nation’s language of government operations. Other Georgia co-sponsors are Republican Reps. Brian Jack, Rich McCormick, Barry Loudermilk and Clay Fuller.
All Democrats in the Georgia congressional delegation decline to sign, according to the Washington-based ProEnglish organization.
H.R. 1772 would establish English as the official language for federal government functions while preserving common sense exceptions related to public safety, law enforcement, public health and disability accommodations. The legislation also affirms the importance of English proficiency in the naturalization process, reinforcing the principle that a shared language is essential to effective participation in our civic life.
In March 2025, President Donald Trump issued Executive Order 14224, titled “Designating English as the Official Language of the United States.” It recognized English as our country’s official language of governance and revoked a prior Clinton era directive related to language access. While an executive order cannot create permanent law, it marked a historic moment in the national conversation on language policy. That’s why U.S. Rep. Robert Aderholt, R-Ala., introduced H.R. 1772 to codify into permanent law the 2025 Trump executive order.
As a ProEnglish-commissioned Rasmussen poll shows, official English legislation enjoys widespread support from Americans. ProEnglish Executive Director Ellen Hamilton- Cotton says, “English is certainly a major tie that binds us together as American citizens— after all, proficiency in our common tongue is a requirement for citizenship. Passing this legislation into law would help to unite our nation, foster better communication, save taxpayer money by eliminating many costly translations and enable more effective governance.”
“We are continuing to build momentum behind this critical piece of legislation, and if you haven’t done so already please visit our action center and send a message to your member of Congress asking them to support H.R. 1772,” she says.
The U.S. Senate companion version of the House legislation, S542, is sponsored by Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio. ProEnglish says Georgia’s two Democrat senators— Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock— have declined to sign.
