I 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 8729 
To establish a Native American language resource center. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 5, 2020 
Ms. HAALAND (for herself, Ms. NORTON, Mr. O’HALLERAN, Mr. CA´RDENAS, 
Mr. TED LIEU of California, Ms. LEE of California, Ms. TLAIB, Ms. 
ESHOO, Mr. CLEAVER, Ms. MOORE, Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New 
York, Mr. GALLEGO, Mr. LOWENTHAL, Mr. CASE, Mr. KILMER, Mr. 
YOUNG, Ms. GARCIA of Texas, Mr. COOK, Mr. LUJA´N, and Mr. PRICE 
of North Carolina) introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
the Committee on Education and Labor 
A BILL 
To establish a Native American language resource center. 
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 ‘‘Native American Lan-
guage Resource Center Act’’. 
SEC. 2. PURPOSES. 
The purposes of this Act are to create a national re-
source center to further the policies set forth in the Native 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
02:09 Nov 24, 2020
Jkt 019200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H8729.IH
H8729
pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
cation to include Native American languages in the 
curriculum in the same manner as other world lan-
guages, including through cooperative agreements 
and distance education, and to grant proficiency in 
Native American languages the same full academic 
credit as proficiency in other world languages; 
(7) encourage and support the development of 
appropriate teacher preparation programming for 
the teaching of, and through, Native American lan-
guages, including appropriate alternative pathways 
to teacher certification; 
(8) provide a resource base to provide informa-
tion to Federal, Tribal, State, and local governments 
and Native American educational organizations to 
allow the spread of best practices in the use, prac-
tice, and development of Native American languages 
in Native American communities, including use in 
educational institutions; 
(9) provide a resource base for the use of tech-
nology in intensive community-, land-, and archive- 
based programs, as well as hybrid and collaborative 
programs in supporting the retention, use, develop-
ment, and teaching of Native American languages by 
government and private entities; 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
02:09 Nov 24, 2020
Jkt 019200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H8729.IH
H8729
pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
(10) provide a developmental base from which 
interested Tribal colleges and universities and other 
Native American entities might develop fully func-
tioning Native American language medium education 
systems that include associated preschool, elemen-
tary school, secondary school, and adult education 
programs conducted through the medium of Native 
American languages; 
(11) provide a means to further collaboration 
among formal government, institutional, and com-
munity-based Native American language programs, 
resources, and research efforts with additional access 
to international best practices in indigenous lan-
guage revitalization; and 
(12) develop a support center system for Native 
American language participants to gather and share 
helpful information and experiences. 
SEC. 3. NATIVE AMERICAN LANGUAGE RESOURCE CENTER. 
Section 603 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 1123) is amended— 
(1) by redesignating subsections (b) and (c) as 
subsections (c) and (d), respectively; 
(2) by inserting after subsection (a) the fol-
lowing: 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
02:09 Nov 24, 2020
Jkt 019200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H8729.IH
H8729
pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
‘‘(b) NATIVE AMERICAN LANGUAGE RESOURCE CEN-
TER AUTHORIZED.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary is authorized 
to make a grant to, or enter into a contract with, 
an eligible entity for the purpose of— 
‘‘(A) establishing, strengthening, and oper-
ating a Native American language resource and 
training center as described in paragraph (2); 
and 
‘‘(B) staffing the center with individuals 
who have high-level fluency in American Indian, 
Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian languages 
and are experienced with Native American lan-
guage education in the preschool, elementary 
school, secondary school, adult education, and 
higher education programs. 
‘‘(2) PURPOSES
OF
CENTER.—The Native 
American language resource center established under 
paragraph (1) shall serve as a resource to— 
‘‘(A) improve the capacity to teach and 
learn Native American languages and further 
Native American language acquisition; 
‘‘(B) preserve, protect, and promote the 
rights and freedom of Native Americans to use, 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
02:09 Nov 24, 2020
Jkt 019200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H8729.IH
H8729
pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
practice, and develop Native American lan-
guages; 
‘‘(C) allow the United States to fulfill its 
trust responsibility to Native American commu-
nities and address the effects of past discrimi-
nation against Native American language 
speakers; 
‘‘(D) support revitalization of Native 
American languages; 
‘‘(E) encourage and support the use of Na-
tive American languages as a medium of in-
struction, including use as a medium of edu-
cation in schools operated by Tribes, States, the 
Federal Government, and Native American lan-
guage educational organizations; 
‘‘(F) encourage and support the use and 
development of Native American languages as 
the medium of instruction for a wide variety of 
age levels and academic content areas; 
‘‘(G) encourage and support elementary 
schools, secondary schools, and institutions of 
higher education to include Native American 
languages in the curriculum in the same man-
ner as other world languages, including through 
cooperative agreements and distance education, 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
02:09 Nov 24, 2020
Jkt 019200
PO 00000
Frm 00006
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H8729.IH
H8729
pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
and to grant proficiency in Native American 
languages the same full academic credit as pro-
ficiency in other world languages; 
‘‘(H) encourage and support the develop-
ment of appropriate teacher preparation pro-
gramming for the teaching of, and through, Na-
tive American languages, including appropriate 
alternative pathways to teacher certification; 
‘‘(I) provide a resource base to provide in-
formation to Federal, Tribal, State, and local 
governments and Native American educational 
organizations to allow the spread of best prac-
tices in the use, practice, and development of 
Native American languages in Native American 
communities, including use in educational insti-
tutions; 
‘‘(J) provide a resource base for the use of 
technology in intensive community-, land-, and 
archive-based programs, as well as hybrid and 
collaborative programs in supporting the reten-
tion, use, development, and teaching of Native 
American languages by government and private 
entities; 
‘‘(K) support the acquisition of distance 
learning technologies and training for parents, 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
02:09 Nov 24, 2020
Jkt 019200
PO 00000
Frm 00007
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H8729.IH
H8729
pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS
students, teachers, and learning support staff, 
including the compilation and curation of dig-
ital libraries and other online resources in tar-
get Native American languages, the develop-
ment of distance learning curricula appropriate 
for preschool, elementary school, secondary 
school, adult education, and postsecondary edu-
cation, the pedagogical training for teachers, 
and other efforts necessary to continue Native 
American language acquisition among American 
Indian, Alaskan Native, and Native Hawaiian 
communities through distance learning; 
‘‘(L) provide a developmental base from 
which interested Tribal colleges and universities 
and other Native American entities might de-
velop fully functioning Native American lan-
guage medium education systems that include 
associated preschool, elementary school, sec-
ondary school, and adult education programs 
conducted through the medium of Native Amer-
ican languages; 
‘‘(M) provide a means to further collabora-
tion among formal government, institutional, 
and community-based Native American lan-
guage programs, resources, and research efforts 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
02:09 Nov 24, 2020
Jkt 019200
PO 00000
Frm 00008
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H8729.IH
H8729
pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS