NALRC Act of 2022 (S. 989)

Summary

Authorizes the Department of Education to fund one or more resource centers to help preserve, protect, and promote Native American languages.

What problem does this solve?

Many Native American languages are in danger of being lost because of past unfair treatment and a lack of support in schools. This law creates special centers to provide resources, train teachers, and help communities bring back and teach their languages.

What does this law do?

Authorizes Native American language resource centers

Allows the Secretary of Education to provide grants or contracts to colleges or other groups to create and run centers focused on Native American languages.

Defines the purpose and activities of the centers

Requires centers to improve language teaching, support language use, and help revitalize Native American languages to address past discrimination.

Authorizes funding for the program

Authorizes $3,000,000 to be provided for each fiscal year to carry out the activities of the language resource centers.

Supports teacher preparation and development

Encourages and supports programs that prepare teachers to teach Native American languages, including through summer programs and professional development.

Promotes use of technology for language learning

Supports the use of distance learning, digital libraries, and other online resources to help teach and preserve Native American languages.

Who does this affect?

Native American communities (including American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians)
Educators and students in Native American language programs
Institutions of higher education

What is the real world impact?

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Fulfills a federal trust responsibility

Supports Native American communities by creating dedicated centers for language preservation, which is part of the U.S. government's stated responsibility to Native peoples.

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Promotes educational equality for native languages

Encourages schools and colleges to give the same academic credit for Native American language courses as they do for other world languages, like Spanish or French, addressing long-standing inequities.

When does this start?

This law becomes effective on January 5, 2023.