A
MEMORIAL
REQUESTING THAT THE MOTOR VEHICLE
DIVISION PROVIDE ANNOUNCEMENTS IN THE NAVAJO LANGUAGE IN COMMUNITIES WITH A
LARGE NUMBER OF NAVAJO SPEAKERS.
WHEREAS, the Navajo Nation has
a population of more than two hundred ten thousand people and continues to grow
rapidly; and
WHEREAS, the Navajo people
continue to speak in their native language and are successfully maintaining it
as a strong and viable language; and
WHEREAS, Navajo is the primary
language of tens of thousands of New Mexicans; and
WHEREAS, many Navajo people are
not fluent in the English or Spanish languages and, consequently, have a
difficult time obtaining state services; and
WHEREAS, the motor vehicle
division of the taxation and revenue department offers services to the entire population
of the state, including Navajo speakers; and
WHEREAS, Governor Richardson
has made improving the lives of New Mexico's native peoples a priority in his
administration; and
WHEREAS, New Mexico has a rich
and vibrant linguistic diversity and a strong history of honoring its
linguistic diversity by accommodating the many languages spoken in the state;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED
BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the director of
the motor vehicle division of the taxation and revenue department, the
secretary of taxation and revenue and the governor be requested to provide, in
addition to all currently provided recorded public announcements, recorded
verbal public announcements in the Navajo language at motor vehicle division
locations in communities with large populations of Navajo speakers; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that
copies of this memorial be transmitted to the governor, the secretary of taxation
and revenue and the director of the motor vehicle division of the taxation and
revenue department.