[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 197 (Monday, December 19, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7313-S7314]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 6544. Mr. SCHATZ proposed an amendment to the bill S. 1402, to 
amend the Native American Languages Act to ensure the survival and 
continuing vitality of Native American languages, and for other 
purposes; as follows:

        Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the 
     following:

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Durbin Feeling Native 
     American Languages Act of 2022''.

     SEC. 2. ENSURING THE SURVIVAL AND CONTINUING VITALITY OF 
                   NATIVE AMERICAN LANGUAGES.

       (a) In General.--Section 106 of the Native American 
     Languages Act (25 U.S.C. 2905) is amended by adding at the 
     end the following:
       ``(c) Evaluation; Report.--Not later than 1 year after the 
     date of enactment of this subsection, the President shall--
       ``(1) require the heads of the various Federal departments, 
     agencies, and instrumentalities to carry out an evaluation 
     described in subsection (a)(1); and
       ``(2) submit to Congress a report that describes--
       ``(A) the results of the evaluations; and
       ``(B) the recommendations of the Secretary of the Interior, 
     the Secretary of Health and Human Services, and the Secretary 
     of Education, after consultation with Indian tribes, 
     traditional leaders, and representatives of Native American 
     language communities, for amendments to Federal laws that are 
     needed--
       ``(i) to bring the Federal laws into compliance with this 
     Act;
       ``(ii) to improve interagency coordination for purposes of 
     supporting revitalization, maintenance, and use of Native 
     American languages; and
       ``(iii) to reduce duplication, inefficiencies, and barriers 
     Native American language communities face in accessing 
     Federal programs to support efforts to revitalize, maintain, 
     or increase the use of Native American languages.''.
       (b) Survey on Native American Languages.--The Native 
     American Languages Act (25 U.S.C. 2901 et seq.) is amended by 
     adding at the end the following:

     ``SEC. 108. SURVEY ON NATIVE AMERICAN LANGUAGES.

       ``(a) In General.--Not later than 18 months after the date 
     of enactment of this section, and every 5 years thereafter, 
     the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through 
     the Commissioner of the Administration for Native Americans 
     (referred to in this section as the `Secretary'), shall 
     undertake a survey of the use of all Native American 
     languages in the United States.
       ``(b) Updates.--Prior to conducting each subsequent survey 
     after the initial survey under subsection (a), the Secretary 
     shall update the survey in accordance with this section.
       ``(c) Consultation Required.--The Secretary shall design 
     the initial survey under subsection (a) and each updated 
     survey under subsection (b)--
       ``(1) in consultation with Indian tribes; and
       ``(2) after considering feedback received from Native 
     American language speakers and experts.
       ``(d) Contents.--Each survey under subsection (a) shall 
     solicit--
       ``(1) information on which Native American languages are 
     currently spoken;
       ``(2) estimates of the number of speakers of each Native 
     American language;
       ``(3) any language usage statistics or information that the 
     Secretary, in consultation with Indian tribes and Native 
     American language speakers and experts, determines to be 
     relevant and appropriate;
       ``(4) information on the types of Native American language 
     maintenance and revitalization projects and practices that 
     are currently being carried out;
       ``(5) information on any unmet Native American language 
     resource needs of Indian tribes and Native American language 
     communities; and
       ``(6) any other information that the Secretary, in 
     consultation with Indian tribes and Native American language 
     speakers and experts, determines to be necessary.
       ``(e) Coordination.--The Secretary may coordinate, and 
     enter into cooperative agreements with, the Director of the 
     Bureau of the Census for the purposes of carrying out this 
     section.
       ``(f) Outreach and Engagement.--
       ``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall carry out outreach 
     and engagement activities to provide Indian tribes, Native 
     American language communities, and the public information 
     about--
       ``(A) opportunities to provide input on the development and 
     design of each survey under subsection (a), including 
     information on the consultations required under subsection 
     (c);
       ``(B) the goals and purpose of the surveys conducted under 
     subsection (a); and
       ``(C) the benefits and importance of participation in 
     surveys under subsection (a).
       ``(2) Grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements 
     authorized.--The Secretary may carry out the outreach and 
     engagement activities required under paragraph (1)--
       ``(A) directly;
       ``(B) in partnership with the Bureau of the Census; or
       ``(C) through grants to, or contracts or cooperative 
     agreements with--
       ``(i) Indian tribes;
       ``(ii) tribal organizations; and
       ``(iii) nonprofit organizations that work with Indian 
     tribes, Native American language programs, and Native 
     American language communities.
       ``(g) Limitation.--Nothing in this section requires an 
     Indian tribe, Native American language community, or Native 
     American language speaker--
       ``(1) to participate in a survey under subsection (a); or

[[Page S7314]]

       ``(2) to provide specific or culturally sensitive 
     information in completing such a survey.
       ``(h) Availability of Survey Materials and Findings.--
       ``(1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
     enactment of this section, and prior to conducting each 
     survey under subsection (a), the Secretary shall submit to 
     the Committee on Indian Affairs of the Senate and the 
     Committees on Education and Labor and Natural Resources of 
     the House of Representatives, and make publicly available, a 
     description of--
       ``(A) the feedback received under subsection (c) on the 
     design of the survey;
       ``(B) the form and content of the survey;
       ``(C) the plan for deploying the survey to ensure a robust 
     response; and
       ``(D) how the Secretary will ensure any survey enumeration 
     efforts are culturally informed and appropriate.
       ``(2) Results.--Not later than 90 days after the date on 
     which analysis of each survey under subsection (a) is 
     completed, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on 
     Indian Affairs of the Senate and the Committees on Education 
     and Labor and Natural Resources of the House of 
     Representatives, and make publicly available, the results of 
     the survey.
       ``(i) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized 
     to be appropriated to carry out this section $1,500,000 for 
     each fiscal year--
       ``(1) preceding a fiscal year during which a survey under 
     subsection (a) is conducted; and
       ``(2) during which a survey under that subsection is 
     conducted.''.
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