I 
108TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2362
To amend the Native American Languages Act to provide for the support 
of Native American language survival schools, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 5, 2003
Mr. CASE (for himself, Mr. ABERCROMBIE, and Mr. YOUNG of Alaska) intro-
duced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Edu-
cation and the Workforce 
A BILL 
To amend the Native American Languages Act to provide 
for the support of Native American language survival 
schools, 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 ‘‘Native American Lan-
guages Act Amendments of 2003’’. 
SEC. 2. PURPOSES. 
The purposes of this Act are as follows: 
(1) To encourage and support, consistent with 
the policy of the United States as expressed in the
Native American Languages Act (25 U.S.C. 2901 et 
seq.)—
(A) the development of Native American 
language survival schools as innovative means 
of addressing the effects of past discrimination 
against Native American language speakers; 
and 
(B) the revitalization of Native American 
languages through—
(i) education in Native American lan-
guages; and 
(ii) instruction in other academic sub-
jects using Native American languages as 
an instructional medium. 
(2) To demonstrate the positive effects of Na-
tive American language survival schools on the aca-
demic success of Native American students and the 
students’ mastery of standard English. 
(3) To encourage and support the involvement 
of families in the educational and cultural survival 
efforts of Native American language survival schools. 
(4) To encourage communication, cooperation, 
and educational exchange among Native American 
language survival schools and the administrators of 
Native American language survival schools.
(5) To provide support for Native American 
language survival school facilities and endowments. 
(6) To provide support for Native American 
language nests—
(A) as part of Native American language 
survival schools; or 
(B) as separate programs that will be de-
veloped into more comprehensive Native Amer-
ican language survival schools. 
(7) To support the development of local and na-
tional models that can be disseminated to the public 
and made available to other schools as exemplary 
methods of teaching Native American students. 
(8) To develop a support center system for Na-
tive American language survival schools at the uni-
versity level. 
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
Section 103 of the Native American Languages Act 
(25 U.S.C. 2902) is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘SEC. 103. DEFINITIONS. 
‘‘In this title: 
‘‘(1) ELEMENTARY
SCHOOL.—The term ‘ele-
mentary school’ has the meaning given the term in 
section 9101 of the Elementary and Secondary Edu-
cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).
‘‘(2) INDIAN.—The term ‘Indian’ has the mean-
ing given the term in section 7151 of the Elemen-
tary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 7491). 
‘‘(3) INDIAN RESERVATION.—The term ‘Indian 
reservation’ has the meaning given the term ‘res-
ervation’ in section 3 of the Indian Financing Act of 
1974 (25 U.S.C. 1452). 
‘‘(4) INDIAN TRIBAL GOVERNMENT.—The term 
‘Indian tribal government’ has the meaning given 
the term in section 502 of the Indian Environmental 
General Assistance Program Act of 1992 (42 U.S.C. 
4368b). 
‘‘(5) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘Indian tribe’ 
has the meaning given the term in section 4 of the 
Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance 
Act (25 U.S.C. 450b). 
‘‘(6) NATIVE
AMERICAN.—The term ‘Native 
American’ means—
‘‘(A) an Indian; 
‘‘(B) a Native American Pacific Islander; 
and 
‘‘(C) a Native Hawaiian.
‘‘(7) NATIVE AMERICAN LANGUAGE.—The term 
‘Native American language’ means a historical, tra-
ditional language spoken by Native Americans. 
‘‘(8) NATIVE AMERICAN LANGUAGE COLLEGE.—
The term ‘Native American language college’ 
means—
‘‘(A) a tribally controlled college or univer-
sity (as defined in section 2 of the Tribally Con-
trolled College or University Assistance Act of 
1978 (25 U.S.C. 1801)); 
‘‘(B) a college that is applying for, or has 
obtained, funds under section 109 for a Native 
American language survival school in a Native 
American language that—
‘‘(i) the college regularly offers as 
part of the curriculum of the college; and 
‘‘(ii) has the support of an Indian 
tribal government traditionally affiliated 
with the Native American language; and 
‘‘(C) Ka Haka ‘Ula O Ke’elikolani College. 
‘‘(9) 
NATIVE
AMERICAN
LANGUAGE
EDU-
CATIONAL ORGANIZATION.—The term ‘Native Amer-
ican language educational organization’ means an 
organization that—
‘‘(A) is governed by a board consisting—
‘‘(i) primarily of Native Americans; 
and 
‘‘(ii) as many speakers of 1 or more 
Native American languages as practicable; 
‘‘(B) is currently providing instruction 
through the use of a Native American language 
to at least 10 preschool, elementary school, or 
secondary school students for at least 700 
hours per year per student; 
‘‘(C) has provided instruction through the 
use of a Native American language to at least 
10 preschool, elementary school, or secondary 
school students for at least 700 hours per year 
per student for a period of not less than 3 years 
before the date of application for a grant or 
contract under this title; and 
‘‘(D) may be a public school that meets the 
requirements of subparagraphs (A), (B), and 
(C). 
‘‘(10) NATIVE AMERICAN LANGUAGE NEST.—
The term ‘Native American language nest’ means a 
site-based educational program that—
‘‘(A) enrolls families with children under 
the age of 7;
‘‘(B) is conducted through a Native Amer-
ican language for at least 700 hours per year 
per student; and 
‘‘(C) has the specific goal of strengthening, 
revitalizing, or reestablishing a Native Amer-
ican language and culture as a living language 
and culture of daily life. 
‘‘(11) NATIVE AMERICAN LANGUAGE SURVIVAL 
SCHOOL.—The term ‘Native American language sur-
vival school’ means a site-based educational pro-
gram—
‘‘(A) in which a Native American language 
is dominant; 
‘‘(B) that expands from a Native American 
language nest, as a separate entity or inclusive 
of a Native American language nest, to enroll 
families with children eligible for elementary 
school or secondary school; and 
‘‘(C) that provides a complete education 
through a Native American language with the 
specific goal of strengthening, revitalizing, or 
reestablishing a Native American language and 
culture as a living language and culture of daily 
life.
‘‘(12) NATIVE AMERICAN PACIFIC ISLANDER.—
The term ‘Native American Pacific Islander’ means 
any descendant of the aboriginal people of any is-
land in the Pacific Ocean that is a territory or pos-
session of the United States. 
‘‘(13) NATIVE
HAWAIIAN.—The term ‘Native 
Hawaiian’ has the meaning given the term in section 
7207 of the Elementary and Secondary Education 
Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7517). 
‘‘(14) SECONDARY
SCHOOL.—The term ‘sec-
ondary school’ has the meaning given the term in 
section 9101 of the Elementary and Secondary Edu-
cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801). 
‘‘(15) 
SECRETARY.—The 
term 
‘Secretary’ 
means the Secretary of Education. 
‘‘(16) TRIBAL ORGANIZATION.—The term ‘trib-
al organization’ has the meaning given the term in 
section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Edu-
cation Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 450b).’’. 
SEC. 4. NATIVE AMERICAN LANGUAGE NESTS AND SUR-
VIVAL SCHOOLS. 
The Native American Languages Act (25 U.S.C. 
2901 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing:
‘‘SEC. 108. NATIVE AMERICAN LANGUAGE NESTS. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may make grants 
to, or enter into contracts with, Native American language 
educational organizations, Native American language col-
leges, Indian tribal governments, organizations that dem-
onstrate the potential to become Native American lan-
guage educational organizations, or consortia of such enti-
ties for the purpose of establishing Native American lan-
guage nests for—
‘‘(1) students under the age of 7; and 
‘‘(2) families of the students. 
‘‘(b) REQUIREMENTS.—A Native American language 
nest receiving funds under this section shall—
‘‘(1) provide instruction and child care through 
the use of a Native American language for at least 
10 children under the age of 7 for at least 700 
hours per year per student; 
‘‘(2) provide compulsory classes in a Native 
American language for parents of students enrolled 
in a Native American language nest (including Na-
tive American language-speaking parents); 
‘‘(3) provide compulsory monthly meetings for 
parents and other family members of students en-
rolled in a Native American language nest;
‘‘(4) provide a preference in enrollment for stu-
dents and families who are fluent in a Native Amer-
ican language; 
‘‘(5) receive at least 5 percent of the funding 
for the program from another source, which may in-
clude any federally funded program (such as a Head 
Start program funded under the Head Start Act (42 
U.S.C. 9831 et seq.)); and 
‘‘(6) ensure that a Native American language 
becomes the dominant medium of instruction in the 
Native American language nest not later than 6 
years after the date on which the Native American 
language nest first receives funding under this title. 
‘‘SEC. 
109. 
NATIVE 
AMERICAN 
LANGUAGE 
SURVIVAL 
SCHOOLS. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may make grants 
to, or enter into contracts with, Native American language 
educational organizations, Native American language col-
leges, Indian tribal governments, or consortia of such enti-
ties, to operate, expand, and increase the number of Na-
tive American language survival schools throughout the 
United States and the territories of the United States for 
Native American children and Native American language-
speaking children.
‘‘(i) are not Native American lan-
guage speakers; but 
‘‘(ii) seek—
‘‘(I) to establish fluency through 
instruction in a Native American lan-
guage; or 
‘‘(II) to reestablish fluency as de-
scendants of Native American lan-
guage speakers; 
‘‘(B) provide instruction through more 
than 1 language; 
‘‘(C) provide instruction through a regional 
program (as opposed to 1 site) to better serve 
geographically dispersed students; 
‘‘(D) include a program of concurrent and 
summer college or university education course 
enrollment for secondary school students en-
rolled in the Native American language survival 
school; 
‘‘(E) provide special support for Native 
American languages for which there are very 
few or no remaining Native American language 
speakers; 
‘‘(F) develop comprehensive curricula in 
Native American language instruction and in-
struction through Native American languages, 
including—
‘‘(i) curricula that can be used by 
public schools for—
‘‘(I) instruction through a Native 
American language; or 
‘‘(II) teaching Native American 
languages as subjects; 
‘‘(ii) community Native American lan-
guage use in communities served by Native 
American language survival schools; and 
‘‘(iii) knowledge of a specific Native 
American language gained through re-
search for the purpose of directly aiding 
the development of curriculum materials; 
‘‘(G) provide programs in pre-service and 
in-service teacher training, staff training, per-
sonnel development, upgrading of teacher and 
staff skills, and community resource develop-
ment training, that shall include a program 
component that has as the objective of the pro-
gram component increased speaking proficiency 
in Native American languages for teachers and 
staff employed in Native American language
survival schools and Native American language 
nests, which may include—
‘‘(i) visits or exchanges among Native 
American language survival schools and 
Native American language nests of teach-
ers, staff, students, or families of students; 
‘‘(ii) participation in conferences or 
special nondegree programs focusing on 
the use of 1 or more Native American lan-
guages for the education of teachers, staff, 
students, or families of students; 
‘‘(iii) subject to paragraph (3), full or 
partial scholarships and fellowships to col-
leges or universities—
‘‘(I) to provide for the profes-
sional development of faculty and 
staff; 
‘‘(II) to meet requirements for 
the involvement of the family or the 
community of Native American lan-
guage survival school students in Na-
tive 
American 
language 
survival 
schools; and
‘‘(III) to develop resource per-
sonnel for Native American language 
programs in public schools; 
‘‘(iv) training in the language and cul-
ture associated with a Native American 
language survival school that is provided 
by a community or academic expert, in-
cluding credit courses; 
‘‘(v) structuring of personnel oper-
ations to support Native American lan-
guage and cultural fluency and program 
effectiveness; 
‘‘(vi) Native American language plan-
ning, documentation, reference material, 
and archives development; and 
‘‘(vii) recruitment for participation in 
teacher, staff, student, and community de-
velopment; or 
‘‘(H) rent, lease, purchase, construct, 
maintain, or repair educational facilities to en-
sure the academic achievement of Native Amer-
ican language survival school students. 
‘‘(3) REQUIREMENTS FOR RECIPIENTS OF FEL-
LOWSHIPS OR SCHOLARSHIPS.—A recipient of a fel-
lowship or scholarship under paragraph (2)(G)(iii)