The Wisconsin State Assembly passed Assembly Bill 377 (AB 377), which would establish English as the official state language and allow state agencies to use artificial intelligence tools instead of providing interpreters during court proceedings. The bill now advances to the state senate.
AB 377 was introduced in July 2025, four months after an executive order signed by President Donald Trump that established English as the official language of the U.S. AB 377 would require that most government communications to citizens be provided in English.
Representative David Murphy, who coauthored AB 377, said the bill will promote societal cohesion and save costs incurred from providing interpreters.
“One of the important things about having an official language for society is that language draws people together, and I think it’s really important to give a society cohesiveness with people who speak the same language,” Murphy said.
“You want to make it legal to use AI as an interpreter, which might be useful for ordering lunch, but certainly not sufficient for legal hearings, official forms, and civil rights — not to mention that this implementation of AI would, quite literally, take jobs away from Wisconsinites who work as interpreters,” said Representative Priscilla Prado, who chairs the Wisconsin Hispanic Legislative Caucus. “If efficiency were the goal, we would be talking about improving language access, not political symbolism. Wisconsin does not lose its identity because Spanish or another language is spoken. What it does lose is credibility when it ignores a substantial part of its population.”
Joseph Salmons, a professor of linguistics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a member of the American Civil Liberties Union, said measures to make English an official state language have had limited yet negative effects.
“The bill sends a signal, and it’s the same signal the executive order sent, which is that other languages are not welcome here,” Salmons said. “It’s damaging to the fabric of communities.”
[Note: ATA encourages members to email or call Wisconsin legislators now.]
The Badger Herald (1/21/26) By Abigail Wandersee