1.This Act may be cited as
the National Foreign Language
Coordination Act of 2005
.
2.
Congress finds
that—
(1)there is a severe
shortage of qualified language professionals, including teachers, translators,
and interpreters, especially in less commonly taught languages, across the
United States;
(2)Federal, State,
and local governments need individuals with bilingual and bicultural
capabilities, including—
(A)diplomats;
(B)defense and
intelligence analysts;
(C)military
personnel;
(D)foreign language
instructors;
(E)health
professionals;
(F)medical and
social services providers;
(G)court
interpreters;
(H)translators;
and
(I)law enforcement
officers;
(3)deficiencies in
the national language capabilities have—
(A)undermined
cross-cultural communication and understanding at home and abroad;
(B)restrained social
mobility;
(C)lessened national
commercial competitiveness;
(D)limited the
effectiveness of public diplomacy;
(E)restricted
justice and government services to sectors of society; and
(F)threatened
national security;
(4)ample resources
are not available to develop language and cultural capabilities in all of the
world’s languages, requiring prioritization of such resources; and
(5)a National
Foreign Language Coordination Council and a National Language Director can help
to raise public awareness and provide top-down coordination and
direction.
3.Establishment of
the National Foreign Language Coordination Council
(a)There
is established the National Foreign Language Coordination Council (referred to
as the Council in this Act), which shall be an independent
establishment as defined under section 104 of title 5, United States
Code.
(b)The
Council shall consist of the following members or their designees:
(1)The National
Language Director, who shall serve as the chairperson of the Council.
(2)The Secretary of
Education.
(3)The Secretary of
Defense.
(4)The Secretary of
State.
(5)The Secretary of
Homeland Security.
(6)The Attorney
General.
(7)The Director of
National Intelligence.
(8)The Secretary of
Labor.
(9)The Director of
the Office of Personnel Management.
(10)The Director of
the Office of Management and Budget.
(11)The Secretary of
Commerce.
(12)The Secretary of
Health and Human Services.
(13)The Secretary of
the Treasury.
(14)The Secretary of
Housing and Urban Development.
(15)The Secretary of
Agriculture.
(16)The heads of
such other Federal agencies as the Council considers appropriate.
(c)
(1)The Council shall be charged with—
(A)developing a
national foreign language strategy within 18 months of the date of enactment of
this Act; and
(B)overseeing the
implementation of such strategy.
(2)The strategy developed under paragraph (1) shall
include—
(A)identification of
crucial priorities across all sectors;
(B)identification
and evaluation of Federal foreign language programs and activities,
including—
(i)recommendations
on coordination;
(ii)program
enhancements; and
(iii)allocation of
resources so as to maximize use of resources;
(C)needed national
policies and corresponding legislative and regulatory actions in support of,
and allocation of designated resources to, promising programs and initiatives
at all levels (Federal, State, and local), especially in the less commonly
taught languages that are seen as critical for national security and global
competitiveness in the next 20 to 50 years;
(D)effective ways to
increase public awareness of the need for foreign language skills and career
paths in all sectors that can employ those skills, with the objective of
increasing support for foreign language study among—
(i)Federal, State,
and local leaders;
(ii)students;
(iii)parents;
(iv)elementary,
secondary, and postsecondary educational institutions; and
(v)potential
employers;
(E)incentives for
related educational programs, including foreign language teacher
training;
(F)coordination of
cross-sector efforts, including public-private partnerships;
(G)coordination
initiatives to develop a strategic posture for language research and
recommendations for funding for applied foreign language research into issues
of national concern;
(H)assistance
for—
(i)the
development of foreign language achievement standards; and
(ii)corresponding
assessments for the elementary, secondary, and postsecondary education levels,
including the National Assessment of Educational Progress in foreign
languages;
(I)development
of—
(i)language
skill-level certification standards;
(ii)an
ideal course of pre-service and professional development study for those who
teach foreign language;
(iii)suggested
graduation criteria for foreign language studies and appropriate non-language
studies, such as—
(I)international
business;
(II)national
security;
(III)public
administration; and
(IV)health care;
and
(J)identification of
and means for replicating best practices at all levels and in all sectors,
including best practices from the international community.
(d)The
Council may hold such meetings, and sit and act at such times and places, as
the Council considers appropriate, but shall meet in formal session at least 2
times a year. State and local government agencies and other organizations (such
as academic sector institutions, foreign language-related interest groups,
business associations, industry, and heritage community organizations) shall be
invited, as appropriate, to public meetings of the Council at least once a
year.
(e)
(1)The Director may appoint and fix the compensation of such
additional personnel as the Director considers necessary to carry out the
duties of the Council.
(2)Details from
other agenciesUpon request of the Council, the head of any
Federal agency may detail, on a reimbursable basis, any of the personnel of
such agency to the Council.
(3)With the approval of the Council, the Director may
procure temporary and intermittent services under section 3109(b) of title 5,
United States Code.
(f)
(1)Any
member or employee of the Council may, if authorized by the Council, take any
action that the Council is authorized to take in this Act.
(2)The
Council may secure directly from any Federal agency such information the
Council considers necessary to carry out its responsibilities. Upon request of
the Director, the head of such agency shall furnish such information to the
Council.
(3)The
Council may accept, use, and dispose of gifts or donations of services or
property.
(4)The
Council may use the United States mail in the same manner and under the same
conditions as other Federal agencies.
(g)Conferences,
newsletter, and websiteIn carrying out this Act, the
Council—
(1)may arrange
Federal, regional, State, and local conferences for the purpose of developing
and coordinating effective programs and activities to improve foreign language
education;
(2)may publish a
newsletter concerning Federal, State, and local programs that are effectively
meeting the foreign language needs of the nation; and
(3)shall create and
maintain a website containing information on the Council and its activities,
best practices on language education, and other relevant information.
(h)Not
later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act, and annually
thereafter, the Council shall prepare and transmit to the President and
Congress a report that describes the activities of the Council and the efforts
of the Council to improve foreign language education and training and
impediments, including any statutory and regulatory restrictions, to the use of
each such program.
4.Establishment of
a National Language Director
(a)There is established a National Language Director who
shall be appointed by the President. The National Language Director shall be a
nationally recognized individual with credentials and abilities across all of
the sectors to be involved with creating and implementing long-term solutions
to achieving national foreign language and cultural competency.
(b)The
National Language Director shall—
(1)develop and
oversee the implementation of a national foreign language strategy across all
sectors;
(2)establish formal
relationships among the major stakeholders in meeting the needs of the Nation
for improved capabilities in foreign languages and cultural understanding,
including Federal, State, and local government agencies, academia, industry,
labor, and heritage communities; and
(3)coordinate and
lead a public information campaign that raises awareness of public and private
sector careers requiring foreign language skills and cultural understanding,
with the objective of increasing interest in and support for the study of
foreign languages among national leaders, the business community, local
officials, parents, and individuals.
(c)The
National Language Director shall be paid at a rate of pay payable for a
position at level V of the Executive Schedule under section 5316 of title 5,
United States Code.
5.Encouragement of
state involvement
(a)The Council shall consult with each State to provide for
the designation by each State of an individual to serve as a State contact
person for the purpose of receiving and disseminating information and
communications received from the Council.
(b)State
interagency councils and lead agenciesEach State is encouraged
to establish a State interagency council on foreign language coordination or
designate a lead agency for the State for the purpose of assuming primary
responsibility for coordinating and interacting with the Council and State and
local government agencies as necessary.
6.Authorization of
Appropriations
There are
authorized to be appropriated such sums as necessary to carry out this
Act.