I 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1239 
To authorize the Secretary of Defense to make grants to support the study 
of world languages in elementary schools and secondary schools. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 28, 2017 
Mr. PRICE of North Carolina (for himself, Mr. LANCE, Mr. CROWLEY, Mr. 
YOUNG of Alaska, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Mr. MOULTON, Mr. COLE, and Ms. 
TITUS) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Education and the Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on 
Armed Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speak-
er, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the ju-
risdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To authorize the Secretary of Defense to make grants to 
support the study of world languages in elementary 
schools and secondary schools. 
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 ‘‘World Language Ad-
vancement and Readiness Act of 2017’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
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(1) The national security of the United States 
continues to depend on language readiness, in par-
ticular among the seventeen agencies of the Intel-
ligence Community. 
(2) The levels of language proficiency required 
for national security necessitate long sequences of 
language training for personnel in the Intelligence 
Community and the Department of Defense. 
(3) The future national security and economic 
well-being of the United States will depend substan-
tially on the ability of its citizens to communicate 
and compete by knowing the languages and cultures 
of other countries. 
(4) The Federal Government has an interest in 
ensuring that the employees of its departments and 
agencies with national security responsibilities are 
prepared to meet the challenges of this changing 
international environment. 
(5) The Federal Government also has an inter-
est in taking actions to alleviate the problem of 
American students being inadequately prepared to 
meet the challenges posed by increasing global inter-
action among nations. 
(6) American elementary schools, secondary 
schools, colleges, and universities must place a new 
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emphasis on improving the teaching of foreign lan-
guages, area studies, counterproliferation studies, 
and other international fields to help meet those 
challenges. 
SEC. 3. WORLD LANGUAGE ADVANCEMENT AND READINESS 
GRANTS. 
(a) PROGRAM AUTHORITY.—The Secretary of De-
fense, in consultation with the Director of National Intel-
ligence and the Secretary of Education, shall carry out 
a program under which the Secretary of Defense makes 
grants, on a competitive basis, to State educational agen-
cies and local educational agencies to pay the Federal 
share of the cost of innovative model programs providing 
for the establishment, improvement, or expansion of world 
language study for elementary school and secondary school 
students. 
(b) DURATION.—Each grant under this Act shall be 
awarded for a period of 3 years. 
(c) REQUIREMENTS FOR STATE AND LOCAL EDU-
CATIONAL AGENCIES.— 
(1) GRANTS
TO
STATE
EDUCATIONAL
AGEN-
CIES.—In awarding a grant under subsection (a) to 
a State educational agency, the Secretary of Defense 
shall support programs that promote systemic ap-
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be used for the expansion of world language learning 
in elementary schools. 
(2) Not less than 75 percent of the funds made 
available to carry out this Act for a fiscal year shall 
be used to support instruction in world languages 
determined by the Secretary of Defense to be critical 
to the national security interests of the United 
States. 
(3) The Secretary of Defense may reserve not 
more than 5 percent of funds made available to 
carry out this Act for a fiscal year to evaluate the 
efficacy of programs that receive grants under sub-
section (a) 
(f) APPLICATIONS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—To be considered for a grant 
under subsection (a), a State educational agency or 
local educational agency shall submit an application 
to the Secretary of Defense at such time, in such 
manner, and containing such information and assur-
ances as the Secretary may require. 
(2) SPECIAL CONSIDERATION.—The Secretary 
of Defense shall give special consideration to appli-
cations describing programs that— 
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(A) include intensive summer world lan-
guage programs for professional development of 
world language teachers; 
(B) link nonnative English speakers in the 
community with the schools in order to promote 
two-way language learning; 
(C) promote the sequential study of a 
world language for students, beginning in ele-
mentary schools; 
(D) make effective use of technology, such 
as computer-assisted instruction, language lab-
oratories, or distance learning, to promote 
world language study; 
(E) promote innovative activities, such as 
dual language immersion, partial world lan-
guage immersion, or content-based instruction; 
and 
(F) are carried out through a consortium 
comprised of the agency receiving the grant, an 
elementary school or secondary school, and an 
institution of higher education (as that term is 
defined in section 102 of the Higher Education 
Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002)). 
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
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(1) ESEA TERMS.—The terms ‘‘elementary 
school’’, ‘‘local educational agency’’, ‘‘secondary 
school’’, and ‘‘State educational agency’’ have the 
meanings given the terms in section 8101 of the Ele-
mentary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 7801). 
(2) WORLD LANGUAGE.—The term ‘‘world lan-
guage’’ means— 
(A) any natural language other than 
English, including— 
(i) languages determined by the Sec-
retary of Defense to be critical to the na-
tional security interests of the United 
States; 
(ii) classical languages; 
(iii) American sign language; and 
(iv) Native American languages; and 
(B) any language described in subpara-
graph (A) that is taught in combination with 
English as part of a dual language or immer-
sion learning program. 
Æ 
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