,,ii  #aafth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,s4 #bcjg  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,july #bi1     
#bjai ,mr4 ,booker introduced the       
following bill2 which was read twice and
 referred to the ,committee on ,armed   
,services  ,a ,,bill  ,to authorize the 
,secretary of ,defense to make grants to
 support the study of world languages in
 elementary schools and secondary       
schools4  #a4 ,short title  ,this ,act  
may be cited as the ,world ,language    
,advancement and ,readiness ,act of     
#bjai4  #b4 ,findings ,congress finds   
the following3 7#a7 ,the national       
security of the ,united ,states         
continues to depend on language         
readiness1 in particular among the #ag  
agencies of the intelligence community4 
7#b7 ,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 ,defense4  7#c7 ,the     

future national security and economic   
well-being of the ,united ,states will  
depend substantially on the ability of  
its citizens to communicate and compete 
by knowing the languages and cultures of
 other countries4  7#d7 ,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 environment4  7#e7 ,the   
,federal ,government also has an        
interest in taking actions to alleviate 
the problem of ,american students being 
inadequately prepared to meet the       
challenges posed by increasing global   
interaction among nations4  7#f7        
,american elementary schools1 secondary 
schools1 colleges1 and universities must
 place a new emphasis on improving the  
teaching of world languages1 area       
studies1 counterproliferation studies1  
and other international fields to help  
meet those challenges4  7#g7 ,the       

,united ,states needs more people to    
speak languages other than ,english in  
order to provide social and legal       
services for a changing population4     
7#h7 ,the study of a second language has
 been linked to improved learning       
outcomes in other subjects1 enhanced    
cognitive ability1 and the development  
of empathy and effective interpretive   
skills4 ,the use of a second language   
has been linked to a delay in certain   
manifestations of aging4  7#i7 ,the     
,united ,states lags behind most nations
 of the world1 including ,european      
nations and ,china1 in the percentage of
 its citizens who have some knowledge of
 a second language4  7#aj7 ,native      
,american languages are distinct in     
political status and history and should 
therefore receive targeted support to   
ensure their retention in alignment with
 the ,native ,american ,languages ,act  
7#be ,u4,s4,c4 #bija et seq474  #c4     
,world language advancement and         
readiness grants  7a7 ,program authority

 ,the ,secretary of ,defense1 in        
consultation with the ,director of      
,national ,intelligence and the         
,secretary of ,education1 shall carry   
out a program under which the ,secretary
 of ,defense makes grants1 on a         
competitive basis1 to ,state educational
 agencies and local educational agencies
 to pay the ,federal share of the cost  
of innovative model programs providing  
for the establishment1 improvement1 or  
expansion of world language study for   
elementary school and secondary school  
students4  7b7 ,duration ,each grant    
under this ,act shall be awarded for a  
period of #c years4  7c7 ,requirements  
for ,state and local educational        
agencies  7#a7 ,grants to ,state        
educational agencies ,in awarding a     
grant under subsection 7a7 to a ,state  
educational agency1 the ,secretary of   
,defense shall support programs that    
promote systemic approaches to improving
 world language learning in the ,state4 
7#b7 ,grants to local educational       

agencies ,in awarding a grant under     
subsection 7a7 to a local educational   
agency1 the ,secretary of ,defense shall
 support programs that--  7,a7 show the 
promise of being continued beyond the   
grant period2  7,b7 demonstrate         
approaches that can be disseminated to  
and duplicated in other local           
educational agencies2 and  7,c7 may     
include a professional development      
component4  7d7 ,federal share  7#a7 ,in
 general ,except as provided in         
paragraph 7#b71 the ,federal share under
 this ,act for each fiscal year shall be
 #ej percent4  7#b7 ,exception ,the     
,secretary of ,defense may determine the
 ,federal share under this ,act for any 
local educational agency that the       
,secretary determines does not have     
adequate resources to pay the           
non-,federal share4  7e7 ,allocation of 
funds  7#a7 ,expansion of world         
languages in elementary schools ,not    
less than #ge percent of the funds made 
available to carry out this ,act for a  

fiscal year shall be used for the       
expansion of world language learning in 
elementary schools4  7#b7 ,critical     
languages ,not less than #ge 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 ,states4  7#c7 ,reservation ,the
 ,secretary of ,defense may reserve not 
more than #e percent of funds made      
available to carry out this ,act for a  
fiscal year to evaluate the efficacy of 
programs that receive grants under      
subsection 7a74  7f7 ,applications  7#a7
 ,in general ,to be considered for a    
grant under subsection 7a71 a ,state    
educational agency or local educational 
agency shall submit an application to   
the ,secretary of ,defense at such time1
 in such manner1 and containing such    
information and assurances as the       
,secretary may require4  7#b7 ,special  

consideration ,the ,secretary of        
,defense shall give special             
consideration to applications describing
 programs that-- 7,a7 include intensive 
summer world language programs for      
professional development of world       
language teachers2  7,b7 link nonnative 
,english speakers in the community with 
the schools in order to promote two-way 
language learning2  7,c7 promote the    
sequential study of a world language for
 students1 beginning in elementary      
schools2  7,d7 make effective use of    
technology1 such as computer-assisted   
instruction1 language laboratories1 or  
distance learning1 to promote world     
language study2  7,e7 promote innovative
 activities1 such as dual language      
immersion1 partial world language       
immersion1 or content-based instruction2
 and  7,f7 are carried out through a    
consortium comprised of the agency      
receiving the grant1 an elementary      
school or secondary school1 and an      
institution of higher education 7as that

 term is defined in section #ajb of the 
,higher ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj   
,u4,s4,c4 #ajjb774  #d4 ,definitions ,in
 this ,act3 7#a7 ,,esea terms ,the terms
 elementary school1 local educational   
agency1 secondary school1 and ,state    
educational agency have the meanings    
given the terms in section #haja of the 
,elementary and ,secondary ,education   
,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ghja74    
7#b7 ,world language ,the term world    
language means-- 7,a7 any natural       
language other than ,english1           
including--  7i7 languages determined by
 the ,secretary of ,defense to be       
critical to the national security       
interests of the ,united ,states2  7ii7 
classical languages2  7iii7 ,american   
sign language2 and  7iv7 ,native        
,american languages2 and  7,b7 any      
language described in subparagraph 7,a7 
that is taught in combination with      
,english as part of a dual language or  
immersion learning program4