[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 229 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 229

     Recognizing the significance of the 1973 New Mexico Bilingual 
Multicultural Education Act on its 50th anniversary and the importance 
 of cultivating education in both the mother tongue as well as English 
  for the preservation of culture, identity, and Indigenous knowledge.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 14, 2023

   Ms. Leger Fernandez submitted the following resolution; which was 
        referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
     Recognizing the significance of the 1973 New Mexico Bilingual 
Multicultural Education Act on its 50th anniversary and the importance 
 of cultivating education in both the mother tongue as well as English 
  for the preservation of culture, identity, and Indigenous knowledge.

Whereas, when New Mexico became a territory of the United States in 1848, the 
        predominant languages spoken were Dine (Navajo), Jicarilla and Mescalero 
        Apache, Keres, Tiwa, Towa, Tewa, Zuni, and Spanish;
Whereas the citizens of the New Mexico territory recognized the importance of 
        maintaining Spanish and these Indigenous languages, and rejected and 
        resisted attempts to eradicate these languages as a precondition for 
        becoming a State;
Whereas, when New Mexico was finally admitted as a State in 1912, its 
        constitution provided for the education of teachers and students in 
        Spanish;
Whereas Indigenous leaders recognized that their language was a gift from their 
        creator which was essential for them to continue teaching successive 
        generations of their purpose, way of life, customs, and laws;
Whereas Senator Matias Chacon introduced bill 421, the Bilingual Multicultural 
        Education Act to the New Mexico State Legislature in 1973 in 
        collaboration with several bilingual education advocates including 
        Senator Ray Leger and Mela Leger, the director of bilingual education in 
        the West Las Vegas schools;
Whereas New Mexico was the first State to adopt a bilingual multicultural 
        education law, and the New Mexico Bilingual Multicultural Education Act 
        is the only State legislation that acknowledges culture as an important 
        part of language acquisition;
Whereas, since 1973, New Mexico has allocated State funds to districts for the 
        implementation of bilingual multicultural education programs, and 70 
        percent of New Mexico school districts currently implement bilingual 
        multicultural education programs;
Whereas the New Mexico 520 Alternative Certificate allows members of New 
        Mexico's 22 Pueblos and Tribal Nations to teach their respective 
        languages in New Mexico public schools;
Whereas, pursuant to section 2A of the New Mexico Bilingual Multicultural 
        Education Act of 1973, a ``bilingual multicultural education program'' 
        is a program where children learn through 2 languages, enhance and 
        foster a positive understanding of the cultures of their environment, 
        and participate in ``the wealth and beauty of such a rich cultural 
        heritage'' in ``the pluralistic society in which we now live'';
Whereas bilingual multicultural education supports emergent bilingual students, 
        prepares all students to participate in a multicultural society, and 
        ensures equal access to education;
Whereas, in 1968, Congress passed the first major Federal legislation concerning 
        bilingual education, the Bilingual Education Act (BEA), which became the 
        English Language Acquisition, Language Enhancement, and Academic 
        Achievement Act;
Whereas the State Court held in Yazzie/Martinez v. State of New Mexico that the 
        State failed to provide adequate education for students, particularly 
        low-income students, English learners, Native Americans, and students 
        with disabilities, thus requiring the State to ensure schools have the 
        necessary resources, including sufficient funding, to provide all 
        students with equal access to education;
Whereas New Mexico is 1 of the 49 States that has approved a Seal of Biliteracy;
Whereas New Mexico is 1 of at least 39 States that provides for training, 
        professional development, teaching standards, certification, or 
        endorsements for alternative language teachers in statute or regulation;
Whereas Federal legislation has been proposed to create grants for States to 
        fund the Seal of Biliteracy program but remains unfulfilled;
Whereas nearly 22 percent of people in the United States speak a language other 
        than English at home, and the Census Bureau reported that the 5 most 
        frequently spoken languages other than English are Spanish or Spanish 
        Creole, Chinese, Tagalog, Vietnamese, and Arabic;
Whereas there are roughly 245 Indigenous languages spoken across the United 
        States, and many of these are at risk of extinction with only a small 
        number of speakers remaining;
Whereas English learners are entitled to receive special services based on the 
        1974 Supreme Court decision in Lau v. Nichols so that they may learn the 
        same academic content as English speakers and have access to public 
        education;
Whereas, in 2002, Public Law 107-110 changed the name of the Office of Bilingual 
        Education and Minority Languages Affairs at the Department of Education 
        to the Office of English Language Acquisition, Language Enhancement, and 
        Academic Achievement for Limited English Proficient Students;
Whereas there are thousands of dual language programs across the country, and 
        States like California, Massachusetts, Utah, North Carolina, Delaware, 
        and Washington have moved toward dual language initiatives;
Whereas bilingual multicultural education is beneficial to all students, as it 
        helps promote the development of a student's home or heritage language, 
        bilingualism, biliteracy, and global awareness;
Whereas language skills, abilities, and practices are interconnected, and the 
        more a student's home or heritage language is supported, the stronger 
        effect it will have on acquiring another language; and
Whereas language is an important aspect of a student's identity and culture, and 
        studies show that being bilingual or multilingual has several benefits 
        such as increased problem-solving abilities, increased creativity, 
        increased concentration skills, increased learning, and increased 
        interpersonal skills: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) supports efforts to incorporate bilingual multicultural 
        education;
            (2) supports efforts to encourage the Office of English 
        Language Acquisition, Language Enhancement, and Academic 
        Achievement for Limited English Proficient Students to become 
        the Office of Multilingual Education;
            (3) supports creating grants for teacher development to 
        increase the number of bilingual teachers and professors in the 
        United States;
            (4) supports creating grants to fund the Seal of Biliteracy 
        program; and
            (5) supports efforts to help American-Indian Tribes and 
        Nations maintain, revitalize, and teach their Indigenous 
        languages.
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