I
103D CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 2619
To establish Federal grant programs to identify and address the foreign
language needs within the United States for the purpose of enhancing
economic competitiveness, ensuring national security, and promoting the
national interest.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JULY 13, 1993
Mr. EMERSON introduced the following bill; which was referred jointly to the
Committees on Foreign Affairs and Education and Labor
A BILL
To establish Federal grant programs to identify and address
the foreign language needs within the United States for
the purpose of enhancing economic competitiveness, en-
suring national security, and promoting the national
interest.
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 ‘‘Foreign Language
Economic Enhancement Act’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds the following:
(1) Foreign language proficiency will help
Americans to understand other customs and cul-
tures, conduct effective foreign policy, expand inter-
national trade, ensure the integrity of national de-
fense and security, and develop a truly broad-based
education for all citizens.
(2) The business community suffers from
United States educational deficiencies, including in-
adequate foreign language instruction. To compete,
Americans must know more about their economic
partners and competitors. To do business overseas,
Americans must understand the customer’s language
and customs.
(3) Of the world’s 10 most populous languages,
representing potential markets, 6 of them, Malay-In-
donesian, Bengali, Hindi, Portuguese, and some dia-
lects of Arabic and Chinese, are not widely taught
in the United States.
(4) In Europe, there are dozens of universities
with schools of practical interpretation and trans-
lation. In the United States, very few institutions of
higher education offer training in translation and in-
terpretation, and only one offers an undergraduate
degree program.
(5) Most professional interpreters and trans-
lators working in the United States are foreign-born
or received their professional training in other coun-
tries.
(6) Only 8 percent of our universities require
foreign languages for admission, and only 5 percent
of our college graduates are fluent in any language
other than English. American colleges and univer-
sities must place a new emphasis on improving the
teaching of foreign languages, regional studies, and
international studies to help meet such challenges.
(7) Many teachers lack adequate international
preparation. Only 5 percent of current elementary
and secondary teachers ever took international rela-
tions, or geography courses while in school.
(8) Fewer than 5 percent of the elementary
school students in this country receive foreign lan-
guage instruction, and only 17 percent of United
States public elementary schools offer any form of
language instruction.
(9) As new and increased language instruction
becomes necessary, educators to teach these lan-
guages are becoming increasingly difficult to find.
35 States are currently reporting a shortage in for-
eign language teachers.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
As used in this Act—
(1) the term ‘‘institution of higher education’’
has meaning provided by section 1201 of the Higher
Education Act of 1965;
(2) the term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary
of Education;
(3) the term ‘‘State education agency’’ has the
meaning provided by section 1201 of the Higher
Education Act of 1965; and
(4) the term ‘‘local educational agency’’ has the
meaning provided by section 1201 of such Act.
TITLE I—FOREIGN LANGUAGE
TEACHER RECRUITMENT
SEC. 101. PURPOSE.
It is the purpose of this title to establish a grant pro-
gram that will assist States in recruiting individuals with
a demonstrated competence in a foreign language and pro-
viding those individuals with the training required to qual-
ify those individuals to teach.
SEC. 102. PROGRAM AUTHORITY.
(a) GENERAL AUTHORITY.—The Secretary shall, in
accordance with the requirements of this title, establish
a program to provide grants to State educational agencies
to recruit and train qualified individuals as elementary
and secondary school teachers.
(b) ALLOTMENT OF FUNDS.—The Secretary shall pe-
riodically assess the needs for foreign language teachers
in each State. The Secretary shall establish by regulation,
procedures based on the results of such assessment, for
the allotment of funds provided under this title among
those States that have submitted applications that meet
the requirements of section 203. Such procedures shall
provide that no State shall receive a grant of less than
$500,000 or more than $2,000,000.
SEC. 103. GRANT APPLICATIONS.
Any State desiring to receive a grant under this title
shall submit to the Secretary an application at such time,
in such form, and containing or accompanied by such in-
formation and assurances as the Secretary may require
by regulation. Such application shall—
(1) contain assurances that 50 percent of the
funds made available under the grant for each fiscal
year will be used to provide grants of not more than
$5,000 per year to qualified individuals to cover the
costs of instruction required to obtain certification to
teach;
(2) provide that the State educational agency
will allocate funds provided under the grant on the
basis of the following factors;