The Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (BCIS) has launched a pilot program in Atlanta and four other cities to devise a more uniform citizenship interview exam. Immigration officers can choose from a list of 100 questions to ask those applying for U.S. citizenship, but they are allowed to choose which questions to ask. The BCIS plans to ask sample questions of immigrants after citizenship interviews to help come up with a consistent and fair process, according to Gerri Ratliff, the bureau's project manager for the naturalization test redesign. The agency wants to be sure that all immigrants are tested the same no matter what city they live in. Applicants to become U.S. citizens must demonstrate an understanding of the English language, including ability to read, write and speak the language, and they must also answer questions about U.S. history and government. Officials hope to develop a list of several hundred civics and history questions that are about the same level of difficulty.

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This week immigrant advocates testified in favor of a DC bill that would require translators in all city agencies and the appointment of a citywide coordinator. City officials said the service would be too costly in a weak economy that has forced the government to cut back on other programs and slash budgets.

Denise Gilman of the Washington Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs said the city should "remove the burden from hardworking, tax-paying members of our community simply because they don't speak English well."

The bill was introduced in February by Jim Graham, a council member who chairs D.C.'s Subcommittee on Human Rights, Latino Affairs and Property Management. The proposed legislation includes hiring bilingual employees and translating official materials into Spanish and other languages.

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A California hospital announced this week that it would offer $20,000 scholarships to Hispanic nursing students who promise to sign a contract when they graduate. As the shortage of Spanish-speaking nurses in California becomes more acute, several hospitals have begun offering loans and scholarships to attract bilingual workers.

In 1999, California became the first U.S. state to pass legislation putting a quota on the number of nurses required in each region according to the density of its population. The California Strategic Planning Committee for Nursing said the state would need to recruit 110,000 nurses by 2010. The state plans to train nearly 5,000 more nurses by 2004, but not enough nursing schools exist to meet that goal, the committee found.