[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3096 Introduced in House (IH)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3096

 To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to award 
 grants to State and local educational agencies for the establishment, 
    improvement, and expansion of world language education programs.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 16, 2015

 Mr. Price of North Carolina (for himself, Mr. Lance, Mr. Crowley, and 
Mr. Young of Alaska) introduced the following bill; which was referred 
            to the Committee on Education and the Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to award 
 grants to State and local educational agencies for the establishment, 
    improvement, and expansion of world language education programs.

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

SECTION 1. WORLD LANGUAGE ADVANCEMENT GRANT PROGRAM.

    Part D of title V of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 
1965 (20 U.S.C. 7241 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the 
following:

              ``Subpart 22--World Language Advancement Act

``SEC. 5621. SHORT TITLE.

    ``This subpart may be cited as the `World Language Advancement Act 
of 2015'.

``SEC. 5622. PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.

    ``(a) Program Authority.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary is authorized to make 
        grants, on a competitive basis, to State educational agencies 
        or local educational agencies to pay the Federal share of the 
        cost of innovative model programs providing for the 
        establishment, improvement, or expansion of world language 
        study for elementary school and secondary school students.
            ``(2) Duration.--Each grant under paragraph (1) shall be 
        awarded for a period of 3 years.
    ``(b) Requirements.--
            ``(1) Grants to state educational agencies.--In awarding a 
        grant under subsection (a) to a State educational agency, the 
        Secretary shall support programs that promote systemic 
        approaches to improving world language learning in the State.
            ``(2) Grants to local educational agencies.--In awarding a 
        grant under subsection (a) to a local educational agency, the 
        Secretary shall support programs that--
                    ``(A) show the promise of being continued beyond 
                the grant period;
                    ``(B) demonstrate approaches that can be 
                disseminated and duplicated in other local educational 
                agencies; and
                    ``(C) may include a professional development 
                component.
    ``(c) Federal Share.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Federal share for each fiscal year 
        shall be 50 percent.
            ``(2) Waiver.--Notwithstanding paragraph (1), the Secretary 
        may determine the Federal share for any local educational 
        agency which the Secretary determines does not have adequate 
        resources to pay the non-Federal share of the cost of the 
        activities assisted under this subpart.
    ``(d) Special Rule.--Not less than 75 percent of the funds made 
available under section 5401 to carry out this subpart shall be used 
for the expansion of world language learning in the elementary grades.
    ``(e) Reservation.--The Secretary may reserve not more than 5 
percent of funds made available under section 5401 to carry out this 
subpart for a fiscal year to evaluate the efficacy of programs assisted 
under this subpart.

``SEC. 5623. APPLICATIONS.

    ``(a) In General.--Any State educational agency or local 
educational agency desiring a grant under this subpart shall submit an 
application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and 
containing such information and assurances as the Secretary may 
require.
    ``(b) Special Consideration.--The Secretary shall give special 
consideration to applications describing programs that--
            ``(1) include intensive summer world language programs for 
        professional development of world language teachers;
            ``(2) link nonnative English speakers in the community with 
        the schools in order to promote two-way language learning;
            ``(3) promote the sequential study of a world language for 
        students, beginning in elementary schools;
            ``(4) make effective use of technology, such as computer-
        assisted instruction, language laboratories, or distance 
        learning, to promote world language study;
            ``(5) promote innovative activities, such as world language 
        immersion, partial world language immersion, or content-based 
        instruction; and
            ``(6) are carried out through a consortium comprised of the 
        agency receiving the grant and an elementary school or 
        secondary school.

``SEC. 5624. DEFINITION.

    ``In this subpart, the term `world language' means any natural 
language other than English, including classical languages, American 
sign language, and Native American languages.''.

SEC. 2. CLERICAL AMENDMENT.

    The table of contents for the Elementary and Secondary Education 
Act of 1965 is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 
5618 the following:

              ``subpart 22. world language advancement act

``Sec. 5621. Short title.
``Sec. 5622. Program authorized.
``Sec. 5623. Applications.
``Sec. 5624. Definition.''.
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