I 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3716 
To award grants to States to establish a Seal of Biliteracy program to 
recognize high-level student proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing 
in both English and a second language. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 8, 2017 
Ms. BROWNLEY of California (for herself, Mr. CARBAJAL, Mr. VARGAS, Mrs. 
NAPOLITANO, Mr. CA´RDENAS, Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD, and Mr. NOLAN) in-
troduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Edu-
cation and the Workforce 
A BILL 
To award grants to States to establish a Seal of Biliteracy 
program to recognize high-level student proficiency in 
speaking, reading, and writing in both English and a 
second language. 
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 ‘‘Biliteracy Education 
Seal and Teaching Act’’ or the ‘‘BEST Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
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(1) The people of the United States celebrate 
cultural and linguistic diversity and seek to prepare 
students with skills to succeed in the 21st century. 
(2) It is fitting to commend the dedication of 
students who have achieved proficiency in multiple 
languages and to encourage their peers to follow in 
their footsteps. 
(3) The study of world languages in elementary 
and secondary schools should be encouraged because 
it contributes to a student’s cognitive development 
and to the national economy and security. 
(4) Recognition of student achievement in lan-
guage proficiency will enable institutions of higher 
education and employers to readily recognize and ac-
knowledge the valuable expertise of bilingual stu-
dents in academia and the workplace. 
(5) California has pioneered the first State sys-
tem in the Nation to recognize students for achiev-
ing proficiency in multiple languages. In 2012, Cali-
fornia awarded a Seal of Biliteracy to over 10,000 
graduating high school seniors in 37 school districts. 
(6) Students in every State should be able to 
benefit from a Seal of Biliteracy program. 
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SEC. 3. STATE SEAL OF BILITERACY PROGRAM. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of Education 
shall award grants to States to establish or improve a Seal 
of Biliteracy program to recognize student proficiency in 
speaking, reading, and writing in both English and a sec-
ond language. 
(b) GRANT APPLICATION.—In order to receive a 
grant under this section, a State shall submit an applica-
tion to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and 
containing such information and assurances as the Sec-
retary may require, including— 
(1) a description of the criteria a student must 
meet to demonstrate proficiency in speaking, read-
ing, and writing in both English and a second lan-
guage; 
(2) assurances that a student who meets the re-
quirements under paragraph (1)— 
(A) receives a permanent seal or other 
marker on the student’s secondary school di-
ploma or its equivalent; and 
(B) receives documentation of proficiency 
in the student’s official academic transcript; 
and 
(3) assurances that a student is not charged a 
fee for submitting an application under subsection 
(c). 
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(c) STUDENT
PARTICIPATION
IN
A
SEAL
OF 
BILITERACY PROGRAM.—To participate in a Seal of 
Biliteracy program, a student must submit an application 
to the State that serves the student at such time, in such 
manner, and containing such information and assurances 
as the State may require, including assurances that the 
student— 
(1) will receive a secondary school diploma or 
its equivalent in the year the student submits an ap-
plication; and 
(2) has met the criteria established by the State 
under subsection (b)(1). 
(d) STUDENT ELIGIBILITY
FOR APPLICATION.—A 
student who gained proficiency in a second language out-
side of school may apply to participate in a Seal of 
Biliteracy program under subsection (c). 
(e) USE OF FUNDS.—Grant funds made available 
under this section shall be used for administrative costs 
of establishing or improving and carrying out a Seal of 
Biliteracy program and for public outreach and education 
about that program. 
(f) GRANT TERMS.— 
(1) DURATION.—A grant awarded under this 
section shall be for a period of 2 years, and may be 
renewed at the discretion of the Secretary. 
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(2) RENEWAL.—At the end of a grant term, the 
recipient of such grant may reapply for a grant 
under this section. 
(3) LIMITATIONS.—A grant recipient under this 
section shall not have more than 1 grant under this 
section at anytime. 
(4) RETURN OF UNSPENT GRANT FUNDS.—Not 
later than 6 months after the date on which a grant 
term ends, a recipient of a grant under this section 
shall return any unspent grant funds to the Sec-
retary. 
(g) REPORT.—Not later than 9 months after receiv-
ing a grant under this section, a grant recipient shall issue 
a report to the Secretary describing the implementation 
of the Seal of Biliteracy program. 
(h) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) ESEA 
DEFINITIONS.—The terms ‘‘sec-
ondary school’’, ‘‘Secretary’’, and ‘‘State’’ have the 
meanings given those terms in section 9101 of the 
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 
(20 U.S.C. 7801). 
(2) SECOND
LANGUAGE.—The term ‘‘second 
language’’ means any language other than English, 
including Braille and American Sign Language. 
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(3) SEAL OF BILITERACY PROGRAM.—The term 
‘‘Seal of Biliteracy program’’ means any program es-
tablished under section 3 of this Act. 
(i) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 
authorized 
to 
be 
appropriated 
to 
the 
Secretary 
$10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2019 through 2023 
to carry out this section. 
Æ 
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