I
107TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 1337
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
APRIL 3, 2001
Mrs. MINK of Hawaii (for herself, Mr. ABERCROMBIE, and Mr. KENNEDY of
Rhode Island) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Education 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 Act of 2001’’.
SEC. 2. PURPOSE.
The purposes of this Act are as follows:
(1) To encourage and support the development
of Native American Language Survival Schools as
innovative means of addressing the effects of past
discrimination against Native American language
speakers and to support the revitalization of such
languages through education in Native American
languages and through instruction in other academic
subjects using Native American languages as an in-
structional medium, consistent with United States
policy as expressed in the Native American Lan-
guages Act (25 U.S.C. 2901 et seq.).
(2) To demonstrate the positive effects of Na-
tive American Language Survival Schools on the
academic success of Native American students and
their 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 their administrators.
(5) To provide support for Native American
Language Survival School facilities and endowments.
(6) To provide support for Native American
Language Nests either as part of Native American
Language Survival Schools or as separate programs
land in the Pacific Ocean that is a territory or pos-
session of the United States.
‘‘(11) NATIVE
HAWAIIAN.—The term ‘Native
Hawaiian’ has the meaning given that term in sec-
tion 9212 of the Elementary and Secondary Edu-
cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7912).
‘‘(12) 
SECRETARY.—The 
term 
‘Secretary’
means the Secretary of Education.
‘‘(13) TRADITIONAL LEADERS.—The term ‘tra-
ditional leaders’ includes Native Americans who have
special expertise in Native American culture and Na-
tive American languages.
‘‘(14) TRIBAL ORGANIZATION.—The term ‘trib-
al organization’ has the meaning given that 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.
Title I of Public Law 101–477 (25 U.S.C. 2901 et
seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following new
sections:
‘‘GENERAL AUTHORITY
‘‘NATIVE AMERICAN LANGUAGE NESTS
‘‘SEC. 108. (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary is au-
thorized to provide funds, through grant or contract, to
Native American Language Educational Organizations,
Native American Language Colleges, Indian tribal govern-
ments, organizations that demonstrate the potential to be-
come Native American Language Educational Organiza-
tions, or a consortia of such organizations, colleges, or
tribal governments for the purpose of establishing Native
American Language Nest programs for students below the
age of 7 and their families.
‘‘(b) REQUIREMENTS.—A Native American Lan-
guage Nest program 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 below the age of 7 for at least 700 hours
per year per student;
‘‘(2) provide compulsory classes for parents of
students enrolled in a Native American Language
Nest in a Native American language, 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 its funding
from another source, which may include federally
funded programs, such as a Head Start program
funded under the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9801
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 first receiving funding under this title.
‘‘NATIVE AMERICAN LANGUAGE SURVIVAL SCHOOLS
‘‘SEC. 109. (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary is au-
thorized to provide funds, through grant or contract, to
Native American Language Educational Organizations,
Native American Language Colleges, Indian tribal govern-
ments, or a consortia of such organizations, colleges, or
tribal governments to operate, expand, and increase Na-
tive American Language Survival Schools throughout the
United States and its territories for Native American chil-
dren and Native American language speaking children, in-
cluding through the provision of direct educational services
and school support services.
‘‘(b) ELIGIBILITY.—As a condition of receiving funds
under subsection (a), a Native American Language Edu-
cational Organization, a Native American Language Col-
lege, an Indian tribal government, or a consortia of such
organizations, colleges, or tribal governments—
‘‘(1) shall—
‘‘(A) have at least 3 years experience in
operating and administering a Native American
Language Survival School, a Native American
Language Nest, or other educational programs
in which instruction is conducted in a Native
American language; and
‘‘(B) include students who are subject to
State compulsory education laws; and
‘‘(2) may include students from infancy through
grade 12, as well as their families.
‘‘(c) PRIORITY.—In making grants or entering into
contracts, the Secretary shall give priority to—
‘‘(1) the provision of direct educational services;
‘‘(2) applicants with the support of the appro-
priate tribal government or governments; and
‘‘(3) applicants that have researched language
revitalization and the unique characteristics and cir-
cumstances of the languages of their schools.
‘‘(d) USE OF FUNDS.—
‘‘(1) REQUIRED
USES.—A Native American
Language Survival School receiving funds under this
section shall—
‘‘(A) consist of not less than 700 hours of
instruction per student conducted annually
through a Native American language or lan-
guages for at least 15 students for whom a Na-
tive American Language Survival School is
their principal place of instruction;
‘‘(B) provide direct educational services
and school support services to students that
may also include—
‘‘(i) support services for children with
special needs;
‘‘(ii) transportation;
‘‘(iii) boarding;
‘‘(iv) food service;
‘‘(v) teacher and staff housing;
‘‘(vi) purchase of basic materials;
‘‘(vii) adaptation of teaching mate-
rials;
‘‘(viii) translation and development; or
‘‘(ix) other appropriate services;
‘‘(C) provide direct or indirect educational
and support services for the families of enrolled
students on site, through colleges, or through
other means to increase their knowledge and
use of the Native American language and cul-
ture, and may impose a requirement of family
participation as a condition of student enroll-
ment; and
‘‘(D) ensure that within 3 years of enroll-
ment, all students achieve functional fluency
appropriate to the unique circumstances and
endangerment status of that Native American
language with the ultimate goal of academic or
cognitive fluency.
‘‘(2) PERMISSIBLE USES.—A Native American
Language Survival School receiving funds under this
section may—
‘‘(A) include Native American Language
Nests and other educational programs for stu-
dents who are not Native American language
speakers but who seek to establish fluency
through instruction in a Native American lan-
guage or to reestablish fluency as descendants
of Native American language 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 Native American Language Survival
Schools, as appropriate;
‘‘(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 instruction through a
Native American language or teaching Na-
tive 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 preservice and
inservice teacher training, staff training, per-
sonnel development programs, programs to up-
grade teacher and staff skills, and community
resource development training, that shall in-
clude a program component which has as its
objective increased Native American language
speaking proficiency for teachers and staff em-
ployed 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 school
or nest teachers, staff, students, or fami-
lies of students;
‘‘(ii) participation in conference or
special nondegree programs focusing on
the use of a Native American language or
languages for the education of students,
teachers, staff, students, or families of stu-
dents;
‘‘(iii) full or partial scholarships and
fellowships to colleges or universities for
the professional development of faculty and
staff, and to meet requirements for the in-
volvement of the family or the community
of Native American Language Survival
School students in Native American Lan-
guage Survival Schools, and to develop re-
source persons for Native American lan-
guage programs in public schools, provided
that a recipient of a fellowship or scholar-
ship awarded under the authority of this
clause who is enrolled in a program leading
to a degree or certificate shall—
‘‘(I) be trained in the Native
American language of the Native
American Language Survival School,
if such program is available through
that Native American language;
‘‘(II) complete a minimum an-
nual number of hours in Native Amer-
ican language study or training dur-
ing the period of the fellowship or
scholarship; and
‘‘(III) enter into a contract which
obligates the recipient to provide his
or her professional services, either
during the fellowship or scholarship
period or upon completion of a degree
or certificate, in Native American lan-
guage instruction in the Native Amer-
ican language associated with the Na-
tive 
American 
Language 
Survival
School in which the service obligation
is to be fulfilled;
‘‘(iv) training in the language and cul-
ture associated with a Native American
Language Survival School either under
community or academic experts in pro-
grams which may include 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; or
‘‘(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.
‘‘DEMONSTRATION PROGRAMS REGARDING LINGUISTICS
ASSISTANCE
‘‘SEC. 110. (a) DEMONSTRATION PROGRAMS.—The
Secretary shall provide funds, through grant or contract,
for the establishment of 3 demonstration programs that
will provide assistance to Native American Language Sur-
vival Schools and Native American Language Nests. Such
demonstration programs shall be established at—
‘‘(1) Ka Haka ‘Ula O Ke‘elikolani College of
the University of Hawaii at Hilo, in consortium with
the ‘Aha Punana Leo, Inc., and with other entities
if deemed appropriate by such College, to—
‘‘(A) conduct a demonstration program in
the development and operation of the various
components of a regional Native American Lan-
guage Survival School program and college level
Native American language teaching and use
that is supportive of Native American Lan-
guage Survival Schools; and
‘‘(B) provide assistance in the establish-
ment, operation, and administration of Native
American Language Nests and Native Amer-
ican Language Survival Schools by such means
as training, hosting informational visits to dem-
onstration sites, and providing a national clear-
inghouse for data and information relevant to
teaching Native American languages, outreach,
courses, conferences, and other means;
‘‘(2) Piegan Institute of Browning, Montana to
demonstrate the operation of a Native American
Language Nest and Survival School; and
‘‘(3) the Alaska Native Language Center of the
University of Alaska at Fairbanks, in consortium
with other entities as deemed appropriate by such
Center, to conduct a demonstration program, train-
ing, outreach, conferences, visitation programs, and
other assistance in developing orthographies, re-
source materials, language documentation, language
preservation, material archiving, and community
support development.
‘‘(b) USE
OF TECHNOLOGY.—The demonstration
programs authorized to be established under this section
may employ synchronic and asynchronic telecommuni-
cations and other appropriate means to maintain coordi-
nation and cooperation with one another and with partici-
pating Native American Language Survival Schools and
Native American Language Nests.
‘‘(c) DIRECTIONS TO THE SECRETARY.—The dem-
onstration programs authorized to be established under
this section shall provide direction to the Secretary in de-
veloping a site visit evaluation of Native American Lan-
guage Survival Schools and Native American Language
Nests.
‘‘(d) FOLLOWUP AND DATA COLLECTION.—The dem-
onstration programs authorized to be established under
this section may conduct followup data collection and anal-
ysis on students while they are in school to assess how
Survival School students are performing in comparison to
other students, as well as identify instructional methods
that are working and those methods which may not be
working.
‘‘(e) ENDOWMENTS
AND FACILITIES.—The dem-
onstration programs authorized to be established under
this section may establish endowments for the purpose of
furthering their activities relative to the study and preser-
vation of Native American languages, and may use funds
to provide for the rental, lease, purchase, construction,
maintenance, and repair of facilities.
‘‘AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS
‘‘SEC. 111. There are authorized to be appropriated
such sums as may be necessary to carry out the activities
authorized by this Act for each of fiscal years 2002
through 2007.’’.
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