Veneto should be thought of as an old language, and as such, it should be protected. Because of this, it should be added to the list of minority languages in Article 2 of Law 482 of 1999. It should be taught in schools, used in the news, and played on local radio. Massimo Bitonci, a member of the italian poltical party La Lega and the undersecretary for Enterprise and Made in Italy, made the request. With the help of 17 other parliamentarians, he turned his idea into a bill and presented it to parliament last week. This is not new; in 2009, the Lega's regional councilor, Roberto Ciambetti, proposed a state legislation of regional initiative for the introduction "of the teaching of the Venetian language in schools, since it is the carrier of values that cannot be lost." When then-Agriculture Minister Luca Zaia (now President of Veneto) proposed making study of Veneto mandatory in schools in the region, then-Education Minister Mariastella Gelmini vetoed the idea. Bitonci is now trying again.
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