Democrats and Republicans in the state House may go toe-to-toe next year on making English the official language of Michigan.
Speaker of the House Tom Leonard says he’s on board with the measure. The GOP lawmaker said it’s a way to bring the state together.
On the other side of the aisle, House Minority Leader Sam Singh is passionately against the bills.
During a committee hearing, he asked fellow Representatives why they weren’t working on issues like jobs and the economy.
“Everybody is already speaking English so the question is why is this something that is necessary?," said Rep. Singh.
Rep. Leonard said he’ll run the bill by the rest of the party before he puts it up for a vote.
“You know I believe when you look at nations, when you look at states, a common language binds you together," said Leonard. "And certainly English is that language here in the United States.”
Democrats argue this measure is unnecessary and offensive.