II 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1928 

To support the education of Indian children. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

AUGUST 4, 2015 

Mr. TESTER (for himself, Mr. FRANKEN, and Mr. HEINRICH) introduced the 

following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs 

A BILL 

To support the education of Indian children. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Native Educator Sup5 port and Training Act’’ or the ‘‘NEST Act’’. 

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1 TITLE I—STUDENT ASSISTANCE 

2 PART A—SCHOLARSHIPS FOR THE STUDY OF 

3 EDUCATION AND SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION 

4 SEC. 101. SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMS FOR EDUCATORS OF 

5 INDIAN STUDENTS AND INDIAN EDUCATORS. 

6 Part B of title II of the Higher Education Act (20 

7 U.S.C. 1031 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end 

8 the following: 

9 ‘‘Subpart 6—Indian Educator Scholarship Program 

10 ‘‘SEC. 259A. PURPOSE; DEFINITIONS. 

11 ‘‘(a) PURPOSE.—The purposes of this subpart are— 

12 ‘‘(1) to carry out the United States trust re13 sponsibility for the education of Indian children; and 

14 ‘‘(2) to provide a more stable base of education 

15 professionals with an understanding of the needs of 

16 Indian students to serve in public elementary schools 

17 and secondary schools, schools funded by the Bureau 

18 of Indian Education, the Department of Education, 

19 State educational agencies, and local educational 

20 agencies. 

21 ‘‘(b) DEFINITIONS.—In this subpart: 

22 ‘‘(1) The term ‘Indian’ shall have the meaning 

23 given that term in section 316. 

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1 ‘‘(2) The term ‘Bureau-funded school’ has the 

2 meaning given the term in section 1141 of the Edu3 cation Amendments of 1978 (25 U.S.C. 2021)). 

4 ‘‘SEC. 259B. TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF SCHOLARSHIP 

5 CONTRACTS. 

6 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Unless otherwise specified, a 

7 scholarship grant under this subpart shall have the terms 

8 and conditions described in this section. 

9 ‘‘(b) CONTENTS OF CONTRACT.— 

10 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The written contract be11 tween the Secretary and the individual receiving a 

12 scholarship grant under this subpart shall contain 

13 the following: 

14 ‘‘(A) A statement that the Secretary 

15 agrees to provide the individual with a scholar16 ship in accordance with section 259C, 259D, or 

17 259E, as the case may be. 

18 ‘‘(B) A statement that the individual 

19 agrees— 

20 ‘‘(i) to accept the relevant scholarship 

21 under this subpart; 

22 ‘‘(ii) to maintain enrollment in the 

23 course of study for which the scholarship 

24 was awarded until the individual completes 

25 the course of study; 

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1 ‘‘(iii) while enrolled in such course of 

2 study, to maintain an acceptable level of 

3 academic standing (as determined by the 

4 Secretary, taking into account the require5 ments of the institution of higher edu6 cation offering such course of study); and 

7 ‘‘(iv) to serve, through full-time em8 ployment at an eligible school or eligible 

9 service employer (as described under sec10 tion 259C, 259D, or 259E, as the case 

11 may be), for a time period (referred to in 

12 this section as the ‘period of obligated 

13 service’) equal to the greater of— 

14 ‘‘(I) 1 year for the equivalent of 

15 each school year for which the indi16 vidual was provided a scholarship 

17 under this subpart; or 

18 ‘‘(II) 3 years. 

19 ‘‘(C) A statement of the damages to which 

20 the United States is entitled, under subsection 

21 (d), for the individual’s breach of the contract. 

22 ‘‘(D) Any other relevant statements of the 

23 rights and liabilities of the Secretary and of the 

24 individual, in accordance with the provisions of 

25 this subpart. 

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1 ‘‘(2) PERIOD OF OBLIGATED SERVICE.— 

2 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The recipient of a 

3 scholarship grant under this subpart shall be 

4 required to carry out a period of obligated serv5 ice, as described in paragraph (1)(iv). 

6 ‘‘(B) DEFERMENT.— 

7 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—At the request of 

8 an individual who has entered into a con9 tract described in this subsection, the Sec10 retary shall grant a deferment for the pe11 riod of obligated service of such individual 

12 under such contract for any of the fol13 lowing reasons: 

14 ‘‘(I) ADVANCED STUDY.—For ad15 vanced study to enable such individual 

16 to complete a course of study leading 

17 to an advanced degree in elementary 

18 or secondary education or school ad19 ministration, or needed to become cer20 tified by a State or Indian tribe to 

21 teach, for an appropriate period (in 

22 years, as determined by the Sec23 retary). 

24 ‘‘(II) FAMILY AND MEDICAL

25 LEAVE.—For family or medical leave 

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1 for a period in alignment with section 

2 102 of the Family and Medical Leave 

3 Act of 1993 (29 U.S.C. 2612) and as 

4 approved by the Secretary. 

5 ‘‘(III) MILITARY SERVICE.—If 

6 the individual is a member of the Na7 tional Guard or other reserve compo8 nent of the Armed Forces of the 

9 United States, or a member of such 

10 Armed Forces in a retired status, and 

11 such individual is called or ordered to 

12 active duty (as defined in section 

13 101(d)(1) of title 10, United States 

14 Code), such individual shall be eligible 

15 for a deferment during the period of 

16 active duty and for an appropriate pe17 riod (as determined by the Secretary) 

18 after returning from active duty. 

19 ‘‘(ii) CONDITIONS OF DEFERMENT.— 

20 A deferment granted under subparagraph 

21 (B) shall be subject to the following condi22 tions: 

23 ‘‘(I) The deferment period shall 

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1 riod of obligated service that is re2 quired under this section. 

3 ‘‘(II) The period of obligated 

4 service of the individual shall com5 mence at the later of— 

6 ‘‘(aa) 90 days after the com7 pletion of the deferment period; 

8 ‘‘(bb) the commencement of 

9 the first school year at the school 

10 where the individual has been 

11 hired that begins after the com12 pletion of the deferment; or 

13 ‘‘(cc) a date specified by the 

14 Secretary. 

15 ‘‘(C) PART-TIME STUDY.—In the case of 

16 an individual receiving a scholarship under this 

17 subpart who is enrolled part-time in an ap18 proved course of study— 

19 ‘‘(i) a scholarship under this subpart 

20 shall be for a period of years not to exceed 

21 the part-time equivalent of 4 years, as de22 termined by the Secretary; 

23 ‘‘(ii) the period of obligated service 

24 shall be equal to the greater of— 

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1 ‘‘(I) 1 year for the equivalent of 

2 each full-time academic year for which 

3 the individual was provided a scholar4 ship (as determined by the Secretary 

5 by adding the fractions of a full-time 

6 academic year that each period of 

7 part-time attendance comprises); or 

8 ‘‘(II) 2 years; and 

9 ‘‘(iii) the amount of the monthly sti10 pend specified in subsection (c) shall be re11 duced pro rata, as determined by the Sec12 retary, based on the number of hours of 

13 study in which such individual is enrolled. 

14 ‘‘(c) SCHOLARSHIP.— 

15 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A scholarship provided to a 

16 student under this subpart for a school year shall 

17 equal the amount of— 

18 ‘‘(A) the tuition of the student; 

19 ‘‘(B) all other reasonable educational ex20 penses incurred by the student in such school 

21 year, including fees, books, laboratory expenses, 

22 and other expenses as determined by the Sec23 retary; and 

24 ‘‘(C) a stipend of $800 per month (ad25 justed in accordance with paragraph (3)) for 

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1 each of the 12 consecutive months beginning 

2 with the first month of such school year. 

3 ‘‘(2) PAYMENT TO AN INSTITUTION OF HIGHER

4 EDUCATION.—The Secretary may contract with an 

5 institution of higher education in which a participant 

6 in the scholarship program under this subpart is en7 rolled for the payment to such institution on behalf 

8 of the student of the amounts of tuition and other 

9 reasonable educational expenses described in sub10 paragraph (A) and (B) of paragraph (1). Payment 

11 to such institution may be made without regard to 

12 subsections (a) and (b) of section 3324 of title 31, 

13 United States Code. 

14 ‘‘(3) STIPEND.—The amount of the monthly 

15 stipend described in paragraph (1)(C) shall be in16 creased by the Secretary for each school year ending 

17 in a fiscal year beginning after September 30, 2016, 

18 by the amount (rounded to the next highest multiple 

19 of $1) equal to the amount of such stipend multi20 plied by the percentage adjustment in the rates of 

21 pay under the General Schedule taking effect under 

22 section 5303 of title 5, United States Code, during 

23 the fiscal year in which such school year ends (if 

24 such adjustment is an increase). 

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1 ‘‘(d) LIABILITY; FAILURE TO COMPLETE THE PE2 RIOD OF OBLIGATED SERVICE; REPAYMENT.— 

3 ‘‘(1) LIABILITY.—An individual who has en4 tered into a written contract with the Secretary 

5 under this section shall be liable to the United 

6 States for the amount which has been paid to, or on 

7 behalf of, such individual under the contract, if such 

8 individual— 

9 ‘‘(A) fails to maintain an acceptable level 

10 of academic standing in the institution of high11 er education in which the individual is enrolled 

12 (as determined by the Secretary taking into ac13 count the requirements of the institution of 

14 higher education offering such course of study); 

15 ‘‘(B) is dismissed from such institution of 

16 higher education for disciplinary reasons; 

17 ‘‘(C) voluntarily terminates the training in 

18 such institution of higher education for which 

19 such individual is provided a scholarship under 

20 such contract before the completion of such 

21 training; or 

22 ‘‘(D) fails to accept payment, or instructs 

23 the institution of higher education in which 

24 such individual is enrolled not to accept pay25 ment, under this section. 

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1 ‘‘(2) FAILURE TO COMPLETE THE PERIOD OF

2 OBLIGATED SERVICE.—An individual who has en3 tered into a written contract with the Secretary 

4 under this section may petition the Secretary to 

5 delay the date on which the individual would other6 wise be required to begin the period of obligated 

7 service if such individual has not succeeded in ob8 taining employment required by this section. In sup9 port of such petition, the individual shall supply 

10 such reasonable information as the Secretary may 

11 require. The Secretary shall retain full discretion re12 garding the decision about whether to grant or de13 cline such a delay and to determine the duration of 

14 any delay that is granted. 

15 ‘‘(3) REPAYMENT.— 

16 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—An individual who has 

17 entered into a written contract with the Sec18 retary under this section and who is liable for 

19 any amount of damages which the United 

20 States is entitled to recover under this sub21 section shall— 

22 ‘‘(i) begin payment of such damages 

23 to the United States within 1 year of the 

24 date of the breach or on such later date as 

25 specified by the Secretary; and 

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1 ‘‘(ii) repay the amount of such dam2 ages in full following a schedule and by a 

3 deadline determined by the Secretary. 

4 ‘‘(B) RECOVERY OF DAMAGES.—If dam5 ages described in subparagraph (A) are delin6 quent for 3 months, the Secretary shall, for the 

7 purpose of recovering such damages— 

8 ‘‘(i) utilize collection agencies con9 tracted with by the Administrator of the 

10 General Services Administration; or 

11 ‘‘(ii) enter into contracts for the re12 covery of such damages with collection 

13 agencies selected by the Secretary. 

14 ‘‘(C) CONTRACTS FOR RECOVERY OF DAM15 AGES.—Each contract for recovering damages 

16 pursuant to this paragraph shall provide that 

17 the contractor will, not less than once every 6 

18 months, submit to the Secretary a status report 

19 on the success of the contractor in collecting 

20 such damages. Section 3718 of title 31, United 

21 States Code, shall apply to any such contract to 

22 the extent not inconsistent with this subsection. 

23 ‘‘(4) DEATH.—Upon the death of an individual 

24 who receives, or has received, a scholarship under 

25 this subpart, any obligation of such individual for 

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1 service or payment that relates to such scholarship 

2 shall be canceled. 

3 ‘‘(5) WAIVER.— 

4 ‘‘(A) REQUIRED WAIVER.—The Secretary 

5 shall provide for the partial or total waiver or 

6 suspension of any obligation of service or pay7 ment of a recipient of a scholarship under this 

8 subpart, if the Secretary determines that— 

9 ‘‘(i) it is not possible for the recipient 

10 to meet the obligation or make the pay11 ment; 

12 ‘‘(ii) requiring the recipient to meet 

13 the obligation or make the payment would 

14 result in extreme hardship to the recipient; 

15 or 

16 ‘‘(iii) the enforcement of the require17 ment to meet the obligation or make the 

18 payment would be unconscionable. 

19 ‘‘(B) PERMISSIBLE WAIVER.—Notwith20 standing any other provision of law, for other 

21 good cause shown, the Secretary may waive, in 

22 whole or in part, the right of the United States 

23 to recover funds made available under this sec24 tion. 

25 ‘‘(6) BANKRUPTCY.— 

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1 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subpara2 graph (B), and notwithstanding any other pro3 vision of law, with respect to a recipient of a 

4 scholarship under this subpart, no obligation 

5 for payment may be released by a discharge in 

6 bankruptcy under title 11. 

7 ‘‘(B) EXCEPTION.—The prohibition de8 scribed in subparagraph (A) shall not apply if— 

9 ‘‘(i) such discharge is granted after 

10 the expiration of the 5-year period begin11 ning on the initial date on which that pay12 ment is due; and 

13 ‘‘(ii) the bankruptcy court finds that 

14 the nondischarge of the obligation would be 

15 unconscionable. 

16 ‘‘(e) APPLICABILITY OF OTHER PROVISIONS.—Not17 withstanding any other provision of law, an individual re18 ceiving a scholarship under this subpart shall continue to 

19 be eligible for any other grant programs and loan forgive20 ness programs for which the individual would otherwise 

21 be eligible. 

22 ‘‘SEC. 259C. INDIAN STUDENT EDUCATOR SCHOLARSHIP 

23 PROGRAM. 

24 ‘‘(a) GRANTS AUTHORIZED.— 

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1 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall provide 

2 to each eligible applicant who is accepted for a schol3 arship under this section with a scholarship grant in 

4 each school year or years for a period during which 

5 such individual is pursuing a course of study in ele6 mentary or secondary education or school adminis7 tration at an institution of higher education. 

8 ‘‘(2) DESIGNATION.—Scholarships made under 

9 paragraph (1) shall be designated ‘Indian student 

10 educator scholarships’. 

11 ‘‘(b) ELIGIBILITY.— 

12 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall select 

13 which eligible applicants will receive an Indian stu14 dent educator scholarship under subsection (a). 

15 ‘‘(2) CRITERIA.—In order to be eligible to re16 ceive an Indian student educator scholarship, an in17 dividual shall— 

18 ‘‘(A) be accepted for enrollment, or be en19 rolled, as a full-time or part-time student in a 

20 course of study in elementary or secondary edu21 cation or school administration at an institution 

22 of higher education; 

23 ‘‘(B) submit an application to participate 

24 in the Indian educator scholarship program at 

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1 such time and in such manner as the Secretary 

2 shall determine; and 

3 ‘‘(C) sign and submit to the Secretary, at 

4 the time that such application is submitted, a 

5 written contract as described in section 

6 259B(b), which shall include a commitment to 

7 serve through full-time employment at an eligi8 ble school for the period of obligated service. 

9 ‘‘(c) ELIGIBLE SCHOOLS.—An individual shall be 

10 considered to be serving, through full-time employment at 

11 an eligible school, as required under section 

12 259B(b)(1)(iv), if the individual is employed full-time— 

13 ‘‘(1) in a Bureau-funded school; or 

14 ‘‘(2) in a public elementary school or secondary 

15 school that serves a significant number of Indian 

16 students, as determined by the Secretary. 

17 ‘‘(d) PLACEMENT ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary shall 

18 assist the recipient of an Indian educator scholarship in 

19 learning about placement opportunities in eligible schools 

20 by transmitting the name and educational credentials of 

21 such recipient to— 

22 ‘‘(1) State educational agency clearinghouses 

23 for recruitment and placement of kindergarten, ele24 mentary school, and secondary school teachers and 

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1 administrators in States with a significant number 

2 of Indian children; 

3 ‘‘(2) elementary schools and secondary schools 

4 that are Bureau-funded schools; and 

5 ‘‘(3) tribal education agencies. 

6 ‘‘SEC. 259D. INDIAN EDUCATOR SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM. 

7 ‘‘(a) GRANTS AUTHORIZED.— 

8 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall provide 

9 to each eligible applicant who is accepted for a schol10 arship under this section with a scholarship grant in 

11 each school year or years for a period during which 

12 such individual is pursuing a course of study in ele13 mentary or secondary education or school adminis14 tration at an institution of higher education. 

15 ‘‘(2) DESIGNATION.—Scholarships made under 

16 paragraph (1) shall be designated ‘Indian educator 

17 scholarships’. 

18 ‘‘(b) ELIGIBILITY.— 

19 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall select 

20 which eligible applicants will receive an Indian edu21 cator scholarship under subsection (a). 

22 ‘‘(2) CRITERIA.—In order to be eligible to re23 ceive an Indian student scholarship, an individual 

24 shall— 

25 ‘‘(A) be an Indian; 

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1 ‘‘(B) be accepted for enrollment, or be en2 rolled, as a full-time or part-time student in a 

3 course of study in elementary or secondary edu4 cation or school administration at an institution 

5 of higher education; 

6 ‘‘(C) submit an application to participate 

7 in the Indian educator scholarship program at 

8 such time and in such manner as the Secretary 

9 shall determine; and 

10 ‘‘(D) sign and submit to the Secretary, at 

11 the time that such application is submitted, a 

12 written contract as described in section 259B, 

13 which shall include a commitment to serve 

14 through full-time employment at an eligible 

15 school for the period of obligated service. 

16 ‘‘(c) ELIGIBLE SCHOOLS.—An individual shall be 

17 considered to be serving, through full-time employment at 

18 an eligible school, as required under as section 

19 259B(b)(1)(iv), if the individual is employed full-time— 

20 ‘‘(1) in a Bureau-funded school; or 

21 ‘‘(2) in a public elementary school or secondary 

22 school that is in the school district of a local edu23 cational agency which is eligible during the period of 

24 obligated service for assistance pursuant to part A 

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1 of title I of the Elementary and Secondary Edu2 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6311 et seq.). 

3 ‘‘(d) PLACEMENT ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary shall 

4 assist the recipient of an Indian educator scholarship in 

5 learning about placement opportunities in eligible schools 

6 by transmitting the name and educational credentials of 

7 such recipient to— 

8 ‘‘(1) State educational agency clearinghouses 

9 for recruitment and placement of kindergarten, ele10 mentary school, and secondary school teachers and 

11 administrators in States with a significant number 

12 of Indian children; 

13 ‘‘(2) elementary schools and secondary schools 

14 that are Bureau-funded schools; and 

15 ‘‘(3) tribal education agencies. 

16 ‘‘SEC. 259E. INDIAN EDUCATOR GRADUATE FELLOWSHIP 

17 PROGRAM. 

18 ‘‘(a) GRANTS AUTHORIZED.— 

19 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall make 

20 scholarship grants in accordance with this section to 

21 Indians who are enrolled on a full-time or part-time 

22 basis in institutions of higher education and pur23 suing a graduate level course of study in education 

24 or school administration. 

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1 ‘‘(2) DESIGNATION.—Scholarships made under 

2 paragraph (1) shall be designated ‘Indian educator 

3 graduate fellowships’. 

4 ‘‘(b) ELIGIBILITY.— 

5 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall select 

6 which eligible applicants will receive an Indian edu7 cator graduate fellowship under subsection (a). 

8 ‘‘(2) CRITERIA.—In order to be eligible to re9 ceive an Indian educator graduate fellowship, an in10 dividual shall— 

11 ‘‘(A) be an Indian; 

12 ‘‘(B) be accepted for enrollment, or be en13 rolled, as a full-time or part-time student in a 

14 graduate level course of study in education or 

15 school administration at an institution of higher 

16 education; 

17 ‘‘(C) submit an application to participate 

18 in the Indian educator graduate fellowship pro19 gram at such time and in such manner as the 

20 Secretary shall determine; and 

21 ‘‘(D) sign and submit to the Secretary, at 

22 the time that such application is submitted, a 

23 written contract as described in section 259B, 

24 which shall include a commitment to serve 

25 through full-time employment at an eligible 

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1 service employer for the period of obligated 

2 service. 

3 ‘‘(c) ELIGIBLE SERVICE EMPLOYERS.—An individual 

4 shall be considered to be serving, through full-time em5 ployment at an eligible service employer, as required under 

6 section 259B(b)(1)(iv), if the individual is employed full7 time— 

8 ‘‘(1) in a Bureau-funded school; 

9 ‘‘(2) in a public elementary school or secondary 

10 school that serves a significant number of Indian 

11 students, as determined by the Secretary; 

12 ‘‘(3) for a Tribal College or University (as de13 fined in section 316); 

14 ‘‘(4) for a Native American-serving, nontribal 

15 institution (as defined in section 319(b)); 

16 ‘‘(5) for an Alaska Native-serving institution 

17 (as defined in section 317(b)); 

18 ‘‘(6) for a Native Hawaiian-serving institution 

19 (as defined in section 317(b)); 

20 ‘‘(7) for a tribal education agency (as defined 

21 by section 3 of the National Environmental Edu22 cation Act (20 U.S.C. 5502)); 

23 ‘‘(8) for a State educational agency or local 

24 educational agency that serves a significant number 

25 of Indian students, as defined by the Secretary; 

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1 ‘‘(9) for the Department of Education; or 

2 ‘‘(10) for the Bureau of Indian Education.(d) 

3 PLACEMENT ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary shall as4 sist the recipient of an Indian educator graduate fel5 lowship in learning about placement opportunities in 

6 eligible service employers in such manner as the Sec7 retary deems appropriate.’’. 

8 PART B—LOAN FORGIVENESS FOR INDIAN 

9 EDUCATORS 

10 SEC. 111. LOAN FORGIVENESS FOR EDUCATORS TEACHING 

11 IN BUREAU OF INDIAN EDUCATION-FUNDED 

12 SCHOOLS AND LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGEN13 CIES WITH A HIGH PERCENTAGE OF AMER14 ICAN INDIAN STUDENTS. 

15 (a) PART B LOANS.—Section 428J of the Higher 

16 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1078–10) is amend17 ed— 

18 (1) in subsection (b)(1), by inserting ‘‘subject 

19 to paragraphs (4) and (5) of subsection (c),’’ before 

20 ‘‘has been employed’’; and 

21 (2) in subsection (c), by adding at the end the 

22 following: 

23 ‘‘(4) ADDITIONAL AMOUNTS FOR TEACHERS IN

24 BUREAU OF INDIAN EDUCATION-FUNDED SCHOOLS

25 AND LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCIES WITH A HIGH

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1 PERCENTAGE OF AMERICAN INDIAN STUDENTS.— 

2 Notwithstanding the amount specified in paragraph 

3 (1) and the requirements under subparagraphs (A) 

4 and (B) of subsection (b)(1), the aggregate amount 

5 that the Secretary shall repay under this section 

6 shall be not less than $17,500 in the case of a bor7 rower who has been employed as a full-time teacher 

8 for 5 consecutive complete school years as— 

9 ‘‘(A) a teacher in a local educational agen10 cy described in section 7112(b) of the Elemen11 tary and Secondary Education Act of 1965; or 

12 ‘‘(B) a teacher in a Bureau-funded school 

13 (as defined in section 1141 of the Education 

14 Amendments of 1978 (25 U.S.C. 2021)).’’. 

15 (b) PART D LOANS.—Section 460 of the Higher Edu16 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087j(c)) is amended— 

17 (1) in subsection (b)(1) by inserting ‘‘subject to 

18 paragraphs (4) and (5) of subsection (c),’’ before 

19 ‘‘has been employed’’; and 

20 (2) in subsection (c), by adding at the end the 

21 following: 

22 ‘‘(4) ADDITIONAL AMOUNTS FOR TEACHERS IN

23 BUREAU OF INDIAN EDUCATION-FUNDED SCHOOLS

24 AND LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCIES WITH A HIGH

25 PERCENTAGE OF AMERICAN INDIAN STUDENTS.— 

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1 Notwithstanding the amount specified in paragraph 

2 (1) and the requirements under subparagraphs (A) 

3 and (B) of subsection (b)(1), the aggregate amount 

4 that the Secretary shall cancel under this section 

5 shall be not less than $17,500 in the case of a bor6 rower who has been employed as a full-time teacher 

7 for 5 consecutive complete school years as— 

8 ‘‘(A) a teacher in a local educational agen9 cy described in section 7112(b) of the Elemen10 tary and Secondary Education Act of 1965; or 

11 ‘‘(B) a teacher in a Bureau-funded school 

12 (as defined in section 1141 of the Education 

13 Amendments of 1978 (25 U.S.C. 2021)).’’. 

14 SEC. 112. LOAN FORGIVENESS FOR AMERICAN INDIAN 

15 TEACHERS. 

16 (a) PART B LOANS.—Section 428J(c) of the Higher 

17 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1078–10(c)), as 

18 amended by section 111, is further amended by adding 

19 at the end the following: 

20 ‘‘(5) ADDITIONAL AMOUNTS FOR AMERICAN IN21 DIAN TEACHERS.—Notwithstanding the amount 

22 specified in paragraph (1) and the requirements 

23 under subparagraphs (A) and (B) of subsection 

24 (b)(1), the aggregate amount that the Secretary 

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1 shall repay under this section shall be not less than 

2 $17,500 in the case of a borrower who— 

3 ‘‘(A) has been employed as a full-time 

4 teacher for 5 consecutive complete school years 

5 in a public elementary school or secondary 

6 school or a Bureau-funded elementary school or 

7 secondary school (as defined in section 1141 of 

8 the Education Amendments of 1978 (25 U.S.C. 

9 2021)); and 

10 ‘‘(B) is a member of an Indian tribe (as 

11 defined in section 4 of the Indian Self-Deter12 mination and Education Assistance Act (25 

13 U.S.C. 450b)).’’. 

14 (b) PART D LOANS.—Section 460(c) of the Higher 

15 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087j(c)), as amended 

16 by section 111, is further amended by adding at the end 

17 the following: 

18 ‘‘(5) ADDITIONAL AMOUNTS FOR AMERICAN IN19 DIAN TEACHERS.—Notwithstanding the amount 

20 specified in paragraph (1) and the requirements 

21 under subparagraphs (A) and (B) of subsection 

22 (b)(1), the aggregate amount that the Secretary 

23 shall cancel under this section shall be not less than 

24 $17,500 in the case of a borrower who— 

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1 ‘‘(A) has been employed as a full-time 

2 teacher for 5 consecutive complete school years 

3 in— 

4 ‘‘(i) a Bureau-funded elementary 

5 school or secondary school (as defined in 

6 section 1141 of the Education Amend7 ments of 1978 (25 U.S.C. 2021)); or 

8 ‘‘(ii) a public elementary school or 

9 secondary school that is in the school dis10 trict of a local educational agency which is 

11 eligible during the period of obligated serv12 ice for assistance pursuant to part A or 

13 title I of the Elementary and Secondary 

14 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6311 et 

15 seq.); and 

16 ‘‘(B) is a member of an Indian tribe (as 

17 defined in section 4 of the Indian Self-Deter18 mination and Education Assistance Act (25 

19 U.S.C. 450b)).’’. 

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1 SEC. 113. CANCELLATION OF LOANS FOR EDUCATORS 

2 TEACHING IN BUREAU OF INDIAN EDU3 CATION-FUNDED SCHOOLS AND NATIVE 

4 AMERICAN LANGUAGE IMMERSION TEACH5 ERS. 

6 Section 465(a)(2) of the Higher Education Act of 

7 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087ee) is amended— 

8 (1) in subparagraph (A)— 

9 (A) in clause (i)(I), by striking ‘‘or’’ after 

10 the semicolon; 

11 (B) in clause (ii), by inserting ‘‘or’’ after 

12 the semicolon; and 

13 (C) by inserting after clause (ii) the fol14 lowing: 

15 ‘‘(iii) in an elementary school or sec16 ondary school operated or funded by the 

17 Bureau of Indian Education (as defined in 

18 section 1141 of the Education Amend19 ments of 1978 (25 U.S.C. 2021));’’ and 

20 (2) in subparagraph (G), by inserting ‘‘Native 

21 American language immersion,’’ after ‘‘foreign lan22 guages,’’. 

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1 TITLE II—INSTITUTIONAL AID 

2 PART A—PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT GRANTS 

3 FOR NATIVE-SERVING ELEMENTARY 

4 SCHOOLS AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS 

5 SEC. 201. NATIONAL BOARD CERTIFICATION INCENTIVE 

6 PROGRAM. 

7 Subpart 3 of part A of title VII of the Elementary 

8 and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7451) 

9 is amended by adding at the end the following: 

10 ‘‘SEC. 7137. NATIONAL BOARD CERTIFICATION INCENTIVE 

11 PROGRAM. 

12 ‘‘(a) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this section are— 

13 ‘‘(1) to improve the skills of qualified individ14 uals who are Indian (as defined by section 103 of 

15 the Native American Languages Act (25 U.S.C. 

16 2902)) or who teach Indian people; 

17 ‘‘(2) to provide an incentive for qualified teach18 ers to continue to utilize their enhanced skills in ele19 mentary schools and secondary schools serving In20 dian communities; and 

21 ‘‘(3) to increase the retention of highly skilled 

22 Indian teachers in elementary schools and secondary 

23 schools seeking to better incorporate Indian culture 

24 and history into the general curriculum. 

25 ‘‘(b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

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1 ‘‘(1) BUREAU-FUNDED SCHOOL.—The term 

2 ‘Bureau-funded school’ has the meaning given the 

3 term in section 1141 of the Education Amendments 

4 of 1978 (25 U.S.C. 2021). 

5 ‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—The term ‘eligible 

6 entity’ means— 

7 ‘‘(A) a State educational agency in consor8 tium with an institution of higher education; 

9 ‘‘(B) a local educational agency in consor10 tium with an institution of higher education; 

11 ‘‘(C) an Indian tribe or organization, in 

12 consortium with a local educational agency and 

13 an institution of higher education; or 

14 ‘‘(D) a Bureau-funded school in consor15 tium with an institution of higher education. 

16 ‘‘(3) ELIGIBLE EDUCATORS.—The term ‘eligible 

17 educator’ means— 

18 ‘‘(A) a teacher who teaches a minimum 

19 number of Indian students, as determined by 

20 the Secretary; or 

21 ‘‘(B) a teacher who is Indian. 

22 ‘‘(4) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘Indian tribe’ 

23 has the meaning given the term in section 4 of the 

24 Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance 

25 Act (25 U.S.C. 450b). 

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1 ‘‘(c) PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.—The Secretary is au2 thorized to award grants to eligible entities having applica3 tions approved under this section to enable such eligible 

4 entities to— 

5 ‘‘(1) reimburse eligible educators for out-of6 pocket costs associated with obtaining teacher cer7 tification or credentialing by the National Board for 

8 Professional Teaching Standards; and 

9 ‘‘(2) provide an increase in annual compensa10 tion, in an amount equal to not less than $5,000 

11 and not more than a $10,000, for eligible educators 

12 with a certification from the National Board for 

13 Professional Teaching Standards for the duration of 

14 the grant under this section. 

15 ‘‘(d) APPLICATION.— 

16 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Each eligible entity desir17 ing a grant under this section shall submit an appli18 cation to the Secretary at such time, in such man19 ner, and accompanied by such information, as the 

20 Secretary may reasonably require. 

21 ‘‘(2) SPECIAL RULE.—In the case of an eligible 

22 entity desiring to utilize all or a portion of a grant 

23 under this section for eligible educators identified in 

24 subparagraph (B) of subsection (b)(3) who would 

25 not also qualify as an eligible educator under submstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with BILLS

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1 paragraph (A) of subsection (b)(3), the eligible enti2 ty shall provide an assurance that grant funds will 

3 support only those educators who are tribally en4 rolled or affiliated with an Indian tribe. 

5 ‘‘(e) AWARDING OF GRANTS.—In awarding grants 

6 under this section, the Secretary shall determine the 

7 amount and length of each grant, which shall not exceed 

8 5 years. 

9 ‘‘(f) RESTRICTIONS ON COMPENSATION IN10 CREASES.—The Secretary shall require and ensure that 

11 individuals who obtain a certification from the National 

12 Board for Professional Teaching Standards under this 

13 section continue to teach at a school served by the eligible 

14 entity through which funding for such certification was ob15 tained as a condition of receiving annual compensation in16 creases provided for in this section. 

17 ‘‘(g) PROGRESS REPORTS.— 

18 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—For every year for which 

19 Congress allocates funds for grants under this sec20 tion, the Secretary shall provide a report on the 

21 progress of the eligible entities receiving grants 

22 under this section in meeting applicable progress 

23 standards, as determined by the Secretary. 

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1 ‘‘(2) DISSEMINATION.—The Secretary shall dis2 seminate the report described in this subsection to 

3 each of the following: 

4 ‘‘(A) The Committee on Health, Edu5 cation, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate. 

6 ‘‘(B) The Committee on Indian Affairs of 

7 the Senate. 

8 ‘‘(C) The Subcommittee on Indian, Insu9 lar, and Alaska Native Affairs of the Committee 

10 on Natural Resources of the House of Rep11 resentatives. 

12 ‘‘(D) The Committee on Education and the 

13 Workforce of the House of Representatives.’’. 

14 PART B—NATIVE LANGUAGE TEACHER TRAINING 

15 PROGRAM GRANTS FOR NATIVE-SERVING IN16 STITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION 

17 SEC. 211. NATIVE LANGUAGE TEACHER TRAINING PRO18 GRAM DEVELOPMENT GRANTS FOR TRIBAL 

19 COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES AND INSTITU20 TIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION THAT SERVE 

21 SIGNIFICANT NUMBERS OF NATIVE STU22 DENTS. 

23 Title III of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 

24 U.S.C. 1051 et seq.) is amended— 

25 (1) by redesignating part G as part H; and 

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1 (2) by inserting after part F the following: 

2 ‘‘PART G—NATIVE AMERICAN LANGUAGE 

3 TEACHER TRAINING PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT 

4 ‘‘SEC. 381. NATIVE AMERICAN LANGUAGE TEACHER TRAIN5 ING PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT. 

6 ‘‘(a) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this section is to es7 tablish a grant program that seeks— 

8 ‘‘(1) to increase the number of well-trained and 

9 pedagogically effective Native American language 

10 speakers in teaching and other education professions 

11 that serve Indian people; 

12 ‘‘(2) to provide ongoing training and profes13 sional development to Native American immersion 

14 and language instructors to improve their linguistic 

15 and pedagogical skills; and 

16 ‘‘(3) to support the efforts of American Indian 

17 and Alaska Native communities to effectively revi18 talize, maintain, and teach their languages, as envi19 sioned in the Native American Languages Act (25 

20 U.S.C. 2901 et seq.) and section 803C of the Native 

21 American Programs Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 2991b– 

22 3). 

23 ‘‘(b) DEFINITION OF ELIGIBLE INSTITUTION.—In 

24 this section, the term ‘eligible institution’ means any of 

25 the following: 

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1 ‘‘(1) A Tribal College or University as defined 

2 in section 316. 

3 ‘‘(2) A Native American-serving, nontribal insti4 tution as defined in section 319(b). 

5 ‘‘(3) An Alaska Native-serving institution as de6 fined in section 317(b). 

7 ‘‘(4) A Native Hawaiian-serving institution as 

8 defined in section 317(b). 

9 ‘‘(5) A consortium of any of the institutions de10 scribed in paragraphs (1) through (4). 

11 ‘‘(c) GRANT PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.— 

12 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall estab13 lish a program, to be known as the Native American 

14 Language Teacher Training Program, under which 

15 the Secretary shall provide grants, on a competitive 

16 basis, to eligible institutions to promote the recruit17 ment and training of Native immersion and lan18 guage teachers to further support the revitalization, 

19 maintenance, and use of Native American languages 

20 in the classroom. 

21 ‘‘(2) DURATION.—A grant under paragraph (1) 

22 shall be for a period of not more than 5 years. 

23 ‘‘(3) APPLICATION.— 

24 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—To be eligible to re25 ceive a grant under this subsection, an eligible 

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1 institution shall submit to the Secretary an ap2 plication at such time, in such manner, and 

3 containing such information as the Secretary 

4 may reasonably require. 

5 ‘‘(B) APPLICATION PAPERWORK REDUC6 TION.— 

7 ‘‘(i) The Secretary shall establish ap8 plication requirements in such a manner as 

9 to simplify and streamline the process for 

10 applying for grants under this section. 

11 ‘‘(ii) The Secretary shall not require 

12 any Tribal College or University, as de13 fined in section 316, applying individually 

14 for a grant under this section, to submit 

15 any separate, preliminary, or additional 

16 grant eligibility application or information 

17 because of the institution’s status as a 

18 Tribal College or University. 

19 ‘‘(C) INCLUSION.—An application under 

20 this paragraph shall include a plan for the pro21 gram proposed to be carried out by the eligible 

22 institution, including— 

23 ‘‘(i) a description of a 5-year strategy 

24 for meeting the Native immersion teacher 

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1 ican Indians or Alaska Natives, as appro2 priate, in the population served by the in3 stitution, including a description of any 

4 partnerships with tribal, local, or Bureau5 operated educational agencies; 

6 ‘‘(ii) an identification of the American 

7 Indian or Alaska Native population to be 

8 served by the eligible institution; 

9 ‘‘(iii) an identification of the status of 

10 the target Native American language or 

11 languages used within the population; 

12 ‘‘(iv) a description of the professional 

13 development and degree services to be pro14 vided under the program, including the 

15 manner in which the services will be inte16 grated with other appropriate activities 

17 and programs; and 

18 ‘‘(v) a description, to be prepared in 

19 consultation with the Secretary, of the per20 formance measures to be used to assess 

21 the performance of the eligible institution 

22 carrying out the program. 

23 ‘‘(D) REQUIREMENT.—A program plan 

24 under subparagraph (C) shall be consistent 

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1 with the purposes of this section, as determined 

2 by the Secretary. 

3 ‘‘(d) USE OF FUNDS.— 

4 ‘‘(1) REQUIRED ACTIVITIES.—A grantee shall 

5 use grant funds provided under this section to carry 

6 out the following activities: 

7 ‘‘(A) Development of a new Native Amer8 ican immersion and language teacher training 

9 program that leads to State or tribal teacher 

10 certification. 

11 ‘‘(B) Support and expansion of an existing 

12 Native American immersion and language 

13 teacher training program that leads to a State 

14 or tribal teacher certification. 

15 ‘‘(C) Development and delivery of profes16 sional development workshops and courses 

17 aimed at improving the immersion and lan18 guage acquisition pedagogical practices of Na19 tive American immersion and language teach20 ers. 

21 ‘‘(2) ALLOWABLE ACTIVITIES.—A grantee may 

22 use grant funds provided under this section to carry 

23 out additional activities, including— 

24 ‘‘(A) curriculum development and academic 

25 instruction, including educational activities, promstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with BILLS

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1 grams, and partnerships relating to students in 

2 prekindergarten through grade 12; 

3 ‘‘(B) development and establishment of a 

4 national Native American immersion and lan5 guage teacher best practices guideline or certifi6 cation; 

7 ‘‘(C) professional development for institu8 tional faculty or for elementary and secondary 

9 education administrators and educational sup10 port staff; and 

11 ‘‘(D) innovative Native American language 

12 and immersion program classroom research for 

13 students in prekindergarten through grade 12. 

14 ‘‘(e) CONCURRENT FUNDING.—An eligible institution 

15 that receives a grant under this section may concurrently 

16 receive funds under section 316, 317, or 319. 

17 ‘‘(f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

18 is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

19 such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 

20 2016 through 2020.’’. 

Æ 

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