[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3720 Introduced in House (IH)]







105th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 3720

 To repeal the Bilingual Education Act and for certain other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 23, 1998

  Mr. DeLay (for himself, Mr. King, Mr. Solomon, Mr. Livingston, Mr. 
Archer, Mr. Stump, Mr. Doolittle, Mr. Cunningham, Mr. Rohrabacher, Mr. 
 Paul, Mr. Herger, Mr. Canady of Florida, and Mr. Hilleary) introduced 
 the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education 
                           and the Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To repeal the Bilingual Education Act and for certain other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``English for the Children Act''.

SEC. 2. REPEAL OF BILINGUAL EDUCATION ACT.

    (a) Repeal of Bilingual Education Act.--The Bilingual Education Act 
(20 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.) is repealed.
    (b) Termination of Office of Bilingual Education and Minority 
Languages Affairs.--
            (1) In general.--The Office of Bilingual Education and 
        Minority Languages Affairs in the Department of Education is 
        terminated.
            (2) Repeal of conforming provisions.--Sections 209, 216, 
        and 413(b)(1)(A) of the Department of Education Organization 
        Act are repealed.
    (c) Unobligated Funds.--At the end of the transition period 
described in subsection (d)(2), the Secretary shall deposit in the 
general fund of the Treasury any funds that have not been awarded or 
obligated for grants under the Bilingual Education Act (20 U.S.C. 7401 
et seq.).
    (d) Transitional Provisions.--
            (1) Completion of programs during current school year.--
        Subsection (a) shall not apply to any program under the 
        Bilingual Education Act (20 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.) until 
        completion of the most recent school year of the program that 
        commences after the date of the enactment of this Act.
            (2) Assistance for transition to special alternative 
        instructional programs.--During the 1-year period beginning on 
        the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 
        Education may assist local educational agencies in the 
        transition of children enrolled in programs assisted under the 
        Bilingual Education Act (20 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.) to special 
        alternative instructional programs (as such programs are 
        described in section 7501 of the Elementary and Secondary 
        Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7601) that do not make use of 
        the native language of the student.

 SEC. 3. NONPREEMPTION.

    This Act shall not preempt any State law.

SEC. 4. CONSTRUCTION.

    Nothing in this Act shall be construed as requiring that a State or 
local educational agency develop, implement, provide, or maintain a 
program of bilingual education.

SEC. 5. RELEASE FROM DECREE.

    Any consent decree entered into with a State, locality, or local 
educational agency and either the Department of Health, Education and 
Welfare, or the Department of Education that requires such State, 
locality, or local educational agency to develop, implement, provide, 
or maintain any form of bilingual education is void.

SEC. 6. EFFECTIVE DATE.

    Except as provided in subsections (c) and (d) of section 2, this 
Act shall take effect on the date of the enactment of this Act.
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