David Weldon: “My mother grew up in an Italian home and she learned to speak Italian along with her 3 sisters and her brother and they…”

“My mother grew up in an Italian home and she learned to speak Italian along with her 3 sisters and her brother and they were all proud to go out on the streets and learn English. My mother went on not only to get a good command of English but to get through the public school systems of the city of New York and get a college degree and go on to become a teacher. She was a strong advocate for English as a common language in the United States, because she saw firsthand the importance of knowing the language and the need to know the language to be able to get ahead. She taught me the importance of what you are talking about. That is why I am a sponsor of the bill of the gentleman from Wisconsin [Mr. Roth], and I am proud to be a sponsor of that legislation.”