Backlash campaign since the 1980s seeking to establish the “official” status of English as a state and federal language to the exclusion of multilingual materials or required bilingual competence in official settings (sometimes extended into business as well). By 1999 twenty-five states had passed some form of official English law. Active proponents have been organized by US English, founded by California Senator S. Hayakawa in 1983; opponents include organized ethnic groups, the American Civil Liberties Union and the National Education Association. This has become a contested issue in multicultural metropolises like Miami, FL, although some immigrants support its ideal of rapid assimilation.