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H.R. 5473 113th Congress House

James Boulet National Language Act of 2014

Official title: To amend title 4, United States Code, to declare English as the official language of the Government of the United States, and for other purposes.

Introduced: September 15, 2014 See on congress.gov
Government Operations and Politics Citizenship and naturalizationForeign language and bilingual programsGovernment information and archivesTax administration and collection, taxpayersVoting rights
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This bill died when the 113th Congress ended
It never became law before the 113th Congress (2013–2014) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 4 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Oct 28, 2014
Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security.
Oct 28, 2014
Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice.
Sep 15, 2014
Introduced in House
Sep 15, 2014
Referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
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 Latest action October 28, 2014

Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

James Boulet National Language Act of 2014 - Amends federal law to: (1) make English the official language of the United States, (2) require that official U.S. government functions be conducted in English, and (3) require the U.S. government to preserve and enhance the role of English as the official language of the United States.

Declares that, unless specifically stated in applicable law, no person has a right, entitlement, or claim to have the U.S. government or any of its officials or representatives act, communicate, perform or provide services, or materials in any language other than English.

Makes exceptions to these requirements the use of a language other than English for: (1) religious purposes, (2) language training for international communication, or (3) school programs designed to encourage students to learn foreign languages.

Amends the the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to repeal bilingual voting and related voting qualification requirements.

Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to require that all public naturalization ceremonies in which the oath of allegiance is administered be conducted solely in the English language.

 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 4
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APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 5473: James Boulet National Language Act of 2014. 113th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/113-HR-5473/
MLA
"H.R. 5473: James Boulet National Language Act of 2014." 113th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/113-HR-5473/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 5473, 113th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/113-HR-5473/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 5473: James Boulet National Language Act of 2014](https://openamerica.io/bill/113-HR-5473/)
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