Topeka ? A Senate committee Wednesday recommended approval of a bill designating English as the official language of the state.

The measure now goes to the full Senate, where it is expected to pass.

“Generally speaking, bills that don’t actually do anything have a high rate of passage,” said Sen. Pete Brungardt, R-Salina, and chairman of the Senate Federal and State Affairs Committee.

Brungardt called House Bill 2140 a “nothing bill” that “acknowledges that English is what we speak here.”

The committee removed a provision that sought to allocate $500,000 for adult language programs to help immigrants trying to learn English.

Committee members said consideration of the proposed appropriation should be done by the Senate Budget Committee, not the Federal and State Affairs Committee.

Melinda Lewis, director of policy advocacy and research for El Centro Inc. in Kansas City, Kan., opposes the bill but said she expected it to eventually become law.

“I expect that life will go on just about the same for folks as it did before; people still wanting to learn English, and having difficulty doing so, and some people being irrationally upset by the presence of other languages,” Lewis said. The measure was approved 114-7 by the House last month.

Brungardt had tried to amend the bill to say that English was the “common” language instead of the “official” language. That motion failed.

House Bill 2140 would designate English as the official language of the state for all public documents and official public meetings. State agencies and local governments would continue to be allowed to provide documents in languages other than English.

Supporters said it would encourage immigrants to learn English as a way to succeed in American society. Opponents said the bill demeaned immigrants who already understood the importance of learning English and often go to great lengths to learn the language.