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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- The state's official Web site will resume displaying some pages in Spanish next week, but only in a few limited circumstances.
Information will be posted in Spanish about driver licenses, health programs and how to file work or housing discrimination claims. But information about state libraries and how to pay taxes won't be translated into Spanish.
Gov. Jon Huntsman' staff made the announcement Friday, a week and a half after pulling a Spanish-language Web site to conduct a legal review triggered by complaints.
The problem with posting documents in Spanish is t hat English became the state's official language in 2000.
"Our job is to make certain that what our agencies and departments disseminate is in compliance with the law," said Mike Mower, Huntsman's spokesman.
Utah Interactive, a private contractor, began rolling out a Web site redesign a few week ago. As part of that redesign, the firm created www.espanol.utah.gov, which had 10 pages of information.
Within days, Huntsman's office started receiving complaints from people who said that providing information in Spanish violated the English-only law.
Mower said Huntsman's office decided to take down the site and review those "legitimate questions," over the objections of critics who claimed the governor bowed to pressure from anti-immigration activists.
Utah's English as an Official Language law provides several exemptions allowing government information to be translated into other languages. Those include public safety and health, education, court proceedings and tourism.
Huntsman released a policy Friday that takes another look at the law and Mower promised the governor's office would review any further information before posting it online.
State Democratic Rep. Ross Romero, D-Salt Lake City, applauded the governor's decision, though he would like to see the English-only law tweaked.
"Information that is understood in one's native language or the language they know best is always in the state's and the individual's best interest so there are no communication problems," Romero said.
Mower said translating tax information is a legitimate question but not one being posed by Huntsman.
"We have no intent at this time to seek any change in this law," he said.
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
