[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5603 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 5603

     To direct the Secretary of Education to award grants to local 
  educational agencies to establish or improve world language or dual 
               language programs, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 20, 2023

 Mr. Panetta introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                Committee on Education and the Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
     To direct the Secretary of Education to award grants to local 
  educational agencies to establish or improve world language or dual 
               language programs, and for 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 ``World Language Education Assistance 
Program Act'' or the ``World LEAP Act''.

SEC. 2. PURPOSE.

    The purpose of this Act is to establish and make assistance 
available to the World Language Education Assistance Program in order 
to--
            (1) establish or improve and carry out World Language 
        Education Assistance Program grant programs;
            (2) support and uplift dual language and world language 
        programs; and
            (3) provide students with the language skills necessary for 
        an interconnected and global world.

SEC. 3. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Recent academic studies demonstrate that America's 
        language capacity has reached a crisis point, with only one 
        fifth of United States residents speaking a language other than 
        English at home, 90 percent of United States-based employers 
        reporting a reliance on employees with language skills other 
        than English, and one third of foreign language-dependent 
        employers reporting a language skills gap. This language crisis 
        has real world implications for business, government, the 
        military, and diplomatic and intelligence services.
            (2) The Department of Education does not have an innovative 
        world languages program for elementary and secondary students.
            (3) The Nation's education system is suffering from severe 
        shortages of world language, English learner, and bilingual and 
        dual language immersion educators that have been exacerbated by 
        the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, foreign language is the 
        second highest teacher shortage subject area in the Nation, 
        with 6% of English as Second Language or bilingual education 
        positions vacant.
            (4) The lack of a Federal elementary and secondary school 
        world language and dual language program, coupled with the 
        continuing shortage of world language and bilingual teachers, 
        creates significant obstacles to providing equitable 
        opportunities for all students to develop multilingualism. 
        English learners, a population which has grown by 2,100,000 
        between 2000 and 2019, have been disproportionately impacted.
            (5) The Federal Government has a strong interest in better 
        preparing American students to compete in the global economy.

SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Community-based heritage language school.--The term 
        ``community-based heritage language school'' means a nonprofit, 
        community-based school that offers classes for students in pre-
        kindergarten through grade 12, for the purpose of maintaining 
        and teaching the language and culture of non-English speaking 
        communities.
            (2) Dual language program.--The term ``dual language 
        program'' means--
                    (A) with respect to pre-kindergarten and elementary 
                school, a bilingual education program in which students 
                receive instruction in English and a language other 
                than English for at least half of the instructional 
                school day for each year of pre-kindergarten and 
                elementary school, with the goal of achieving 
                proficiency in both languages; and
                    (B) with respect to grades 6 through 8, a bilingual 
                education program in which students who participated in 
                a program described in subparagraph (A) continue to 
                receive instruction in English and a language other 
                than English for at least half of the instructional 
                school day for each year of such grades 6 through 8.
            (3) ESEA definitions.--The terms ``English learner'', 
        ``secondary school'', ``local educational agency'', 
        ``professional development'', ``Secretary'', and ``State'' have 
        the meanings given those terms in section 8101 of the 
        Elementary and Secondary Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).
            (4) Heritage learner.--The term ``heritage learner'' means 
        an individual--
                    (A) with proficiency in, or a cultural connection 
                to (through family, community, or country of origin), a 
                language other than English; and
                    (B) who is studying such language in pre-
                kindergarten, elementary school, or secondary school.
            (5) World language program.--The term ``world language 
        program'' means a program that educates and prepares pre-
        kindergarten, elementary, or secondary school students to 
        communicate, in a proficient and culturally competent manner, 
        with individuals who speak a language other than English.

SEC. 5. WORLD LANGUAGE EDUCATION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.

    (a) Establishment.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary shall award, on a 
        competitive basis, grants to local educational agencies to 
        establish and carry out new, or improve existing world language 
        or dual language programs.
            (2) Duration.--A grant awarded under this section shall be 
        for a period of 3 years and may be renewed at the discretion of 
        the Secretary.
    (b) Application.--A local educational agency desiring a grant under 
this section shall submit to the Secretary an application at such time, 
in such manner, and containing such information and assurances as the 
Secretary may require.
    (c) Criteria for Selection.--
            (1) In general.--In awarding a grant to a local educational 
        agency under this section, the Secretary shall select 
        applications describing programs that--
                    (A) provide approaches to instruction that lead to 
                demonstrated growth in language proficiency from 
                kindergarten through grade 12;
                    (B) can be disseminated and duplicated in other 
                local educational agencies;
                    (C) have a plan for how the program will continue 
                after the conclusion of the grant period; and
                    (D) include a professional development component.
            (2) Priority.--In awarding grants under this section, the 
        Secretary shall give priority to applications describing 
        programs that--
                    (A) include intensive summer professional 
                development for world language program and dual 
                language program teachers;
                    (B) enter into partnerships with community-based 
                heritage language schools and communities;
                    (C) provide world language and dual language 
                immersion programs across all socioeconomic and 
                demographic groups, including English learners and 
                heritage learners;
                    (D) are carried out through a consortium that shall 
                include the agency receiving the grant and an 
                elementary school or secondary school served by such 
                agency, with a preference for consortia that include an 
                institution of higher education;
                    (E) collaborate with the appropriate State 
                licensure office to broaden pathways for language or 
                dual language teacher certification; or
                    (F) conduct outreach and recruit secondary and 
                post-secondary students of diverse socioeconomic 
                backgrounds, including former English learners and 
                heritage learners, into programs that prepare such 
                students to become dual language or world language 
                program teachers.
    (d) Use of Funds.--A local educational agency that receives a grant 
under this section shall--
            (1) reserve not less than 20 percent of such grant funds to 
        provide--
                    (A) accessible pathways for paraprofessionals to 
                gain certification and licensure as world language or 
                dual language teachers; and
                    (B) professional development for certified and 
                licensed world language or dual language teachers; and
            (2) reserve not more than 5 percent of such grant funds to 
        evaluate the efficacy of programs carried out with funds 
        awarded under this section; and
            (3) after making the reservations required under paragraphs 
        (1) and (2), use the remainder of such grant funds to establish 
        and carry out new, and improve existing, world language or dual 
        language programs (including any associated administrative 
        expenses).
    (e) Reporting Requirements.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 18 months after receiving a 
        grant under this section, each local educational agency shall 
        submit to the Secretary a report that--
                    (A) describes the implementation of the program for 
                which the local educational agency received the grant; 
                and
                    (B) includes data that identifies--
                            (i) the number of students enrolled in 
                        language education at the elementary and 
                        secondary schools served by the local 
                        educational agency prior to receiving a grant 
                        under this section;
                            (ii) the number of students enrolled in 
                        such language instruction as of the date of 
                        submission of the report;
                            (iii) the number of certified bilingual 
                        educators working for the local educational 
                        agency prior to receiving a grant under this 
                        section;
                            (iv) the number of certified bilingual 
                        educators working for the local educational 
                        agency as of the date of submission of the 
                        report; and
                            (v) levels of community support for 
                        language education--
                                    (I) prior to receiving a grant 
                                under this section; and
                                    (II) as of the date of submission 
                                of the report.
            (2) Student privacy.--A local educational agency shall 
        prepare the report required under paragraph (1) in a manner 
        that protects the privacy rights of each student in accordance 
        with section 444 of the General Education Provisions Act (20 
        U.S.C. 1232g; commonly known as the ``Family Educational Rights 
        and Privacy Act of 1974'').
    (f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $15,000,000 for fiscal year 2024 
and for each subsequent fiscal year.
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