Crane's proposal wouldn't prevent official proceedings from being translated into other languages, as long as they are in English first.

Eduardo Crespi, who speaks Spanish and English, belongs to the Centro Latino organization. He said Crane's bill is focused in the wrong direction.

"It shows me that there are people that are not progressive in our state government, to understand that there are more important problems that we have to find solutions," Crespi said. "It's not a matter of which language we speak, it's a matter of how well we communicate with each other."

Crane said it's important for Jefferson City to produce documents in English.

"For me, as an elected official, I only know English, and the majority of my constituents only know English," he said.

Crane also said the Jefferson City Council probaby will continue to fine-tune his proposal before voting on it.