I 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 7587 
To improve the literacy and English skills of English language learners, 
and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 13, 2020 
Mr. GRIJALVA (for himself, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Mr. SAN NICOLAS, Mr. 
ESPAILLAT, Mr. GARCI´A of Illinois, Ms. JAYAPAL, Ms. NORTON, Mr. 
YARMUTH, Mr. VARGAS, Mr. CA´RDENAS, and Mr. GONZALEZ of Texas) 
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
Education and Labor 
A BILL 
To improve the literacy and English skills of English 
language learners, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Families Learning and 
Understanding English Together Act of 2020’’ or the 
‘‘FLUENT Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds the following: 
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(1) The Census Bureau’s American Community 
Survey of 2018 estimated 21.9 percent of United 
States households speak a language other than 
English at home. 
(2) Many parents in many recently immigrated 
families speak little to no English, can possess low 
literacy skills in their native language due to limited 
education, and frequently struggle to assist their 
children’s English language development. 
(3) The United States is a nation of immi-
grants, and even today, according to the Census Bu-
reau’s American Community Survey of 2018, more 
than 44,000,000 individuals who live in the United 
States were born outside the country. 
SEC. 3. PURPOSE. 
The purpose of this Act is to improve the educational, 
social, and economic advancement of families with English 
language learners in need of literacy skills by expanding 
and enhancing family literacy activities and services for 
such families. 
SEC. 4. COMPETITIVE GRANT PROGRAM. 
(a) PROGRAM
AUTHORIZED.—From funds made 
available pursuant to section 9, and after reserving funds 
under section 9(b), the Secretary may award grants to 
family literacy providers to provide, directly or through a 
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provider will collaborate with one or more of the fol-
lowing: 
(A) A local educational agency. 
(B) An elementary school. 
(C) A secondary school. 
(D) A nonprofit entity. 
(c) GRANT AMOUNT.—The amount of a grant under 
this Act for a fiscal year shall not be less than $150,000 
or more than $1,000,000. 
(d) SERVICES
REQUIREMENTS.—Family literacy 
services under this Act shall be provided in sufficient in-
tensity in terms of hours, and shall be of sufficient dura-
tion, to make sustainable changes in a family and shall 
integrate all of the following activities: 
(1) Interactive literacy activities between par-
ents and their children. 
(2) Training for parents regarding how to be 
the primary teacher for their children and full part-
ners in the education of their children. 
(3) Parent literacy training that leads to eco-
nomic self-sufficiency. 
(4) An age-appropriate education to prepare 
children for success in school and life experiences. 
(e) SPECIAL RULE.—Family literacy services under 
this Act may be provided to a family only if— 
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(1) each parent in the family has attained 16 
years of age; and 
(2) the family has at least one child who has 
not yet attained 8 years of age. 
SEC. 5. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND TRAINING. 
(a) ACTIVITIES BY SECRETARY.—The Secretary, act-
ing through the Assistant Secretary for Elementary and 
Secondary Education, shall, through grants or contracts 
as described in subsection (b), provide technical assistance 
and training to grantees under this Act for the purposes 
described in subsection (c). 
(b) ACTIVITIES BY NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall make 
grants to, or enter into contracts with, at least 2 eli-
gible national organizations to provide technical as-
sistance and training to grantees under this Act for 
the purposes described in subsection (c). 
(2) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘‘el-
igible national organization’’ means a national orga-
nization with expertise in providing family literacy 
services to English language learner populations. 
(c) PURPOSES.—The purposes of technical assistance 
and training provided under this section are the following: 
(1) Assisting grantees under this Act to im-
prove the quality of their family literacy services. 
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(2) Enabling such grantees that demonstrate 
the effective provision of family literacy services, 
based on improved outcomes for children and their 
parents, to provide technical assistance and training 
to government agencies and to family literacy pro-
viders that work in collaboration with such agencies 
to improve the quality of their family literacy serv-
ices. 
(3) Assisting such grantees in the implementa-
tion of literacy curriculum and training activities, in-
cluding curriculum and training activities that sup-
port building on a child’s native language. 
(d) REPORTS TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 90 days 
after the end of each fiscal year, the Secretary shall sub-
mit to the Committee on Education and Labor of the 
House of Representatives and the Committee on Health, 
Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate a report 
on the technical assistance and training provided pursuant 
to subsections (a) and (b). Each such report shall describe 
the actions taken by the Secretary to ensure that such 
technical assistance and training is of high quality and 
is responsive to the needs of grantees under this Act. 
SEC. 6. OUTCOME MEASURES. 
The Secretary shall require each family literacy pro-
vider receiving a grant under this Act to meet culturally 
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appropriate and competent outcome measures described in 
the provider’s application under section 4, including out-
come measures with respect to— 
(1) acquisition of the English language, includ-
ing improved educational levels; 
(2) literacy skills and building of a home lan-
guage; 
(3) improved parenting and life skills; 
(4) the improved ability of parents who are 
English language learners to effectively interact with 
officials of the schools their children attend; 
(5) improved developmental skills and inde-
pendent learning of the children; 
(6) increased parental participation in their 
children’s education and home environments that are 
supportive of educational endeavors; and 
(7) employability skills. 
SEC. 7. EVALUATION. 
The Secretary shall conduct an annual evaluation of 
the grant program under this Act. Such evaluation shall 
be used by the Secretary— 
(1) for program improvement; 
(2) to further define the program’s goals and 
objectives; and 
(3) to determine program effectiveness. 
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SEC. 8. DEFINITIONS. 
For purposes of this Act: 
(1) APPLICATION OF ESEA TERMS.—The terms 
‘‘elementary school’’, ‘‘English learner’’, ‘‘local edu-
cational agency’’, and ‘‘secondary school’’ have the 
meanings given such terms in section 8101 of the 
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 
(20 U.S.C. 7801). 
(2) ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNER; FAMILY LIT-
ERACY ACTIVITIES.—The terms ‘‘English language 
learner’’ and ‘‘family literacy activities’’ have the 
meanings given the terms in section 203 of the 
Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 
U.S.C. 3272). 
(3) FAMILY
LITERACY
PROVIDER.—The term 
‘‘family literacy provider’’ means an entity that— 
(A) is located in a geographic area con-
taining at least one public elementary school or 
secondary school with a majority enrollment of 
children who are English learners; and 
(B) is one of the following: 
(i) A grantee under the Head Start 
Act (42 U.S.C. 9831 et seq.), or any other 
Federal or State early childhood program. 
(ii) An adult education provider. 
(iii) A local educational agency. 
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(iv) A public or private nonprofit 
agency. 
(v) Another entity that has the dem-
onstrated ability to provide family literacy 
services to English language learning 
adults and families. 
(4) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Education. 
SEC. 9. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be appro-
priated to carry out this Act $50,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2021 through 2025. 
(b) RESERVATIONS.—From funds made available 
pursuant to subsection (a) for a fiscal year, the Secretary 
shall reserve— 
(1) not more than 2 percent of such funds for 
conducting the annual evaluation required by section 
7; and 
(2) $5,000,000 for technical assistance and 
training under section 5. 
Æ 
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