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105TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. R. 4766

To require the Secretary of Education to conduct a study and submit a

report regarding the availability of educational instruction in the English

language to student citizens in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

OCTOBER 9, 1998

Mr. BURTON of Indiana introduced the following bill; which was referred to

the Committee on Education and the Workforce

A BILL

To require the Secretary of Education to conduct a study

and submit a report regarding the availability of educational instruction in the English language to student

citizens in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

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 ‘‘English Empowerment

5 Act’’.

6 SEC. 2. PURPOSE.

7 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following:
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1 (1) The Government provides more than

2 $10,000,000,000 to the Commonwealth of Puerto

3 Rico (referred to in this Act as ‘‘Puerto Rico’’) an4 nually with a significant portion of such amount pro5 vided through Federal assistance for education.

6 (2) The Government should ensure that it is

7 not subsidizing an education system in which stu8 dent citizens of the United States in Puerto Rico

9 (referred to in this Act as ‘‘student citizens’’) who

10 want greater access to English language education

11 are denied that opportunity.

12 (3) Local government officials, educators, and

13 parents in Puerto Rico who want to make English

14 language education available to all student citizens

15 need to be aware that Congress is in support of their

16 efforts.

17 (4) Regardless of Puerto Rico’s political status,

18 English is a universal language of economic and so19 cial empowerment and student citizens should have

20 open and equal access to English education without

21 becoming inadvertent victims of the debate regard22 ing the political status of Puerto Rico.

23 (5) If Puerto Rico opts to become a State at

24 some future date, it will have to comply with the na25 tional English language policy, and if independence
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1 is the ultimate status of Puerto Rico, then English

2 should be strongly promoted as a universal language

3 of economic and social empowerment.

4 (6) It is imperative for Congress, which pre5 sides over the present commonwealth system, to pro6 mote English for the student citizens of Puerto Rico.

7 (b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this legislation is to

8 require the Secretary of Education to develop policy rec9 ommendations throughout the next decade to address the

10 unique language education problems in Puerto Rico with11 out delay to ensure that student citizens there have an

12 opportunity to learn, master, use, and promote the

13 English language to obtain an equal footing with global

14 competitors.

15 SEC. 3. REPORT.

16 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 60 days after the

17 date of enactment of this Act and each year thereafter

18 for the next 10 years, the Secretary of Education shall

19 conduct a study and submit, to the Speaker of the House

20 of Representatives and the President of the Senate, a re21 port regarding the availability of educational instruction

22 in the English language to student citizens in public

23 schools in Puerto Rico.

24 (b) REPORT.—The report shall include comprehen25 sive, specific, and complete recommendations for measures
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1 that can be implemented if Congress adopts legislation

2 that provides conditions and restrictions on the availability

3 and use of Federal assistance for education in Puerto

4 Rico, including English instruction requirements for Fed5 eral Pell grant recipients.

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