WASHINGTON (8 May) -- On Thursday, U.S. Rep. Gus M. Bilirakis (R-Fla.) was recognized for his support of legislation making English the official language in the United States.

Congressman Bilirakis was honored with an "A in English" Award by U.S. English, Inc. for his dedication to preserving the unifying role of the English language in the United States, particularly for his votes and co-sponsorships of official English legislation in the 110th Congress. Bilirakis received "A" grades on the U.S. English, Inc. legislative scorecard for the 110th Congress.

“I am pleased to present this award to Rep. Bilirakis for his efforts to unite our diverse nation under the common language of English,” said Mauro E. Mujica, Chairman of the Board of U.S. English, Inc. and a naturalized citizen from Chile. “Rep. Bilirakis has actively reflected the viewpoints of his constituents regarding official English legislation. At a time when there is renewed interest toward preserving what unites us as a nation, we are grateful to Rep. Bilirakis for his dedicated and enthusiastic support of this issue.”

"Our citizens should make it a priority to learn English," said Bilirakis. "America was founded on a common language of English spoken by individuals who hailed from many different countries and many different languages. English has been a uniting factor throughout our nation's history, and I believe that it should be formally made our nation's official language."

Founded in 1983, U.S. English, Inc. is the nation's oldest and largest non-partisan citizens' action group dedicated to preserving the unifying role of the English language in the United States. U.S. English, Inc. now has more than 1.8 million members.