Frederick County repeals English language law

Frederick County has scrapped its controversial English official language law which was in place for three years. The law, which made English the official language for conducting county business, was criticized as creating an unwelcoming impression of Frederick. The 3-to-4 vote was decided by council president Bud Otis, who said he was going against the advice of others but chose to do what seemed right to him. It is unclear what the opinion of the majority in Frederick is. The sponsor of the repeal bill, council member Jessica Fitzwater, said she had heard from “many, many county citizens” that the bill needed to be repealed. The president of ProEnglish, a Virginia-based English language advocacy group, said on behalf of the organization that they thought most of the people in the county wanted English as the official language.