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.