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Subcommittee discusses bill to recognize ASL "I love you" gesture; debate adjourn motion fails, committee passes over bill
Summary
House Bill 4,610 would designate the American Sign Language "I love you" hand gesture as the state symbol for ASL; a motion to adjourn debate failed and the chair later asked unanimous consent to pass over the bill and move to the next item, so no final vote on the substantive measure was taken.
COLUMBIA — Committee members discussed House Bill 4,610, which would define and recognize an American Sign Language "I love you" hand gesture for official use, but the subcommittee did not take final action on the bill.
A sponsor summary said the bill would allow the gesture to be recognized in official contexts, incorporate it into education curriculum and public awareness campaigns, and permit agencies to work with schools and cultural bodies to promote the symbol. An amendment circulated during the hearing would strip other provisions and leave the core designation language.
A motion by a member to adjourn debate until the bill’s sponsor could be present was called for a roll call and defeated; the clerk summarized the result as three ayes and six nays, so the motion to adjourn was defeated. After discussion and a brief recess the chair asked for unanimous consent to pass over the bill and proceed to the next agenda item; the committee granted unanimous consent and moved on without a substantive vote on H4,610.
No witness testimony was adopted into committee action during the period the bill was on the floor and members requested additional information from the absent sponsor before further consideration.
The bill may be taken up at a future meeting once the sponsor or additional information is available.
