English-only bill held up

     Associated Press
      CARSON CITY -- A bill to make English the official language of Nevada may not get a hearing in the Assembly Government Affairs Committee, the chairman of which argues the bill is unnecessary and possibly unconstitutional.
      "At the present time, I don't plan to hear it," Government Affairs Chairman Doug Bache, D-Las Vegas, said Wednesday.
      Bache said he wants to see the outcome of a 1995 court case over English-only laws in Arizona.
      In Yniguez vs. Arizonans for Official English, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals declared English-only laws unconstitutional. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal.
      The sponsor of Assembly Bill 441, first-term Assemblyman Don Gustavson, R-Sun Valley, said Thursday the Supreme Court's ruling leaves the question of constitutionality unanswered.
      "There's no precedent to call English-only laws unconstitutional," he said.
      AB441 would require all state business to be conducted in English and would make state agencies document how much money they spend printing information in other languages.
      The bill would change little. Other languages could be used in information printed to promote tourism or teach English. The bill would not apply to any situations where English-only laws would jeopardize public health or court proceedings.