HR 1617
112th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1617
To strengthen communities through English literacy and civics education
for new Americans, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 15, 2011
Mr. HONDA (for himself, Ms. BORDALLO, Ms. CHU, Ms. CLARKE of New York, Mr.
ELLISON, Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA, Mr. FILNER, Mr. AL GREEN of Texas, Mr. GRIJALVA,
Mr. GUTIERREZ, Ms. HIRONO, Ms. LEE of California, Ms. MATSUI, Mr. POLIS, Mr.
QUIGLEY, Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD, Mr. SABLAN, Mr. STARK, Ms. ZOE LOFGREN of California,
Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas, and Ms. HANABUSA) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce
A BILL
To strengthen communities through English literacy and civics education
for new Americans, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United
States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.
(a) Short Title- This Act may be cited as the `Strengthen and Unite Communities
with Civics Education and English Development Act of 2011'.
(b) Table of Contents- The table of contents for this Act is as follows:
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
TITLE I--EXPANDING ENGLISH LITERACY, U.S. HISTORY, AND CIVICS EDUCATION
Sec. 101. Increased investment in English literacy, U.S. history, and civics
education under the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act.
Sec. 102. Definitions of English language learner.
Sec. 103. Research in adult education.
TITLE II--SUPPORTING ENGLISH LANGUAGE ACQUISITION AND ADULT EDUCATION IN
THE WORKFORCE
Sec. 201. Presidential award for business leadership in promoting United
States citizenship.
TITLE III--BUILDING STRONGER COMMUNITIES
Sec. 301. Office of Citizenship and Immigrant Integration.
Sec. 302. Grants to States.
Sec. 303. Authorized activities.
Sec. 304. Reporting and evaluation.
Sec. 305. New citizens award program.
Sec. 306. Rule of construction.
Sec. 307. Authorization of appropriations.
SEC. 2. PURPOSES.
The purposes of this Act are--
(1) to meet the growing need for English literacy, U.S. history, and civics
education programs for new Americans in the United States; and
(2) to encourage proactive policies to introduce new Americans into the
Nation in order to maximize the benefits provided to these individuals and
to the community.
TITLE I--EXPANDING ENGLISH LITERACY, U.S. HISTORY, AND CIVICS EDUCATION
SEC. 101. INCREASED INVESTMENT IN ENGLISH LITERACY, U.S. HISTORY, AND CIVICS
EDUCATION UNDER THE ADULT EDUCATION AND FAMILY LITERACY ACT.
(a) Integrated English Literacy and Civics Education Program- Section 203
of the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (20 U.S.C. 9202) is amended--
(1) by redesignating paragraphs (12) through (18) as paragraphs (13) through
(19), respectively; and
(2) by inserting after paragraph (11), the following:
`(12) INTEGRATED ENGLISH LITERACY, U.S. HISTORY, AND CIVICS EDUCATION PROGRAM-
The term `integrated English literacy, U.S. history, and civics education
program' means a program of instruction designed to help an English language
learner achieve competence in English through contextualized instruction
on the rights and responsibilities of citizenship, naturalization procedures,
civic participation, and United States history and government to help such
learner acquire the skills and knowledge to become an active and informed
parent, worker, and community member.'.
(b) State Leadership Activities- Section 223(a) of the Adult Education and
Family Literacy Act (20 U.S.C. 9223(a)) is amended by inserting after paragraph
(11) the following:
`(12) Technical assistance for grant applications of faith- and community-based
organizations.'.
(c) National Institute for Literacy- Section 242(c)(1) of the Adult Education
and Family Literacy Act (20 U.S.C. 9252(c)(1)) is amended--
(1) by redesignating subparagraphs (G), (H), and (I), as subparagraphs (I),
(J), and (K), respectively; and
(2) by inserting after subparagraph (F) the following:
`(G) to coordinate and share information with national organizations and
associations that are interested in integrated English literacy, U.S.
history, and civics education programs;
`(H) to study the effectiveness of distance learning or self-study programs
in assisting the English language learner population achieve competence
in English;'.
(d) Report- Section 242(k) of the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act
(20 U.S.C. 9252(k)) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (2), by striking `and' after the semicolon;
(2) by redesignating paragraph (3) as paragraph (4); and
(3) by inserting after paragraph (2) the following:
`(3) a separate analysis of--
`(A) national and State adult English instruction needs;
`(B) data on the composition of recent immigration flows and immigration
settlement patterns across the United States; and
`(C) estimated instructional needs based on the English ability and educational
attainment of English language learners under recent migration patterns;
and'.
(e) National Leadership Activities- Section 243 of the Adult Education and
Family Literacy Act (20 U.S.C. 9253) is amended--
(A) in subparagraph (A), by inserting `and integrated English literacy,
U.S. history, and civics education programs' before the semicolon at the
end; and
(B) in subparagraph (B), by inserting `and integrated English literacy,
U.S. history, and civics education programs' before `, based on scientific
evidence'; and
(A) in subparagraph (B), by inserting `and integrated English literacy,
U.S. history, and civics education programs' before the semicolon at the
end;
(B) in subparagraph (D)(ii), by inserting `integrated English literacy,
U.S. history, and civics education programs,' before `and workplace literacy
programs'; and
(C) in subparagraph (E)--
(i) in clause (i), by inserting `and integrated English literacy, U.S.
history, and civics education programs' before the semicolon at the
end;
(ii) in clause (iii), by striking `and' after the semicolon;
(I) by striking `section 231' and inserting `sections 231 and 244';
and
(II) by inserting `and' after the semicolon; and
(iv) by adding at the end the following:
`(v) the extent to which integrated English literacy, U.S. history,
and civics education programs carried out under section 244 lead participants
in such programs to increase their civic participation and, if applicable,
lead such participants to become United States citizens;'.
(f) Integrated English Literacy, U.S. History, and Civics Education- Chapter
4 of subtitle A of the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (20 U.S.C.
9251 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:
`SEC. 244. INTEGRATED ENGLISH LITERACY, U.S. HISTORY, AND CIVICS EDUCATION
PROGRAMS.
`(a) Program Authorized- From funds appropriated to carry out this section,
the Secretary shall award grants to States, from allocations under subsection
(b), for integrated English literacy, U.S. history, and civics education programs.
`(1) IN GENERAL- Subject to paragraph (2), from the amount appropriated
under subsection (c) for a fiscal year, the Secretary shall allocate--
`(A) 65 percent of such amount to States on the basis of a State's need
for integrated English, U.S. history, and civics education programs, as
determined by calculating each State's share of a 10-year average of the
data compiled by the Office of Immigration Statistics of the Department
of Homeland Security, for immigrants admitted for lawful permanent residence
for the 10 most recent years; and
`(B) 35 percent of such amount to the States on the basis of whether the
State experienced growth, as measured by the average of the 3 most recent
years for which data compiled by the Office of Immigration Statistics
of the Department of Homeland Security are available, for immigrants admitted
for lawful permanent residence.
`(2) MINIMUM- No State shall receive an allocation under paragraph (1) in
an amount that is less than $60,000.
`(c) Authorization of Appropriation- For the purpose of carrying out this
section, there are authorized to be appropriated $200,000,000 for fiscal year
2012, $250,000,000 for fiscal year 2013, and $300,000,000 for fiscal year
2015.'.
SEC. 102. DEFINITIONS OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNER.
(a) Adult Education and Family Literacy Act- The Adult Education and Family
Literacy Act (20 U.S.C. 9201 et seq.) is amended--
(1) in section 203(6) (20 U.S.C. 9202(6)), by striking `individuals of limited
English proficiency' and inserting `English language learners';
(2) in section 203 (20 U.S.C. 9202)--
(i) in the paragraph heading, by striking `INDIVIDUAL OF LIMITED ENGLISH
PROFICIENCY' and inserting `ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNER'; and
(ii) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by striking `individual
of limited English proficiency' and inserting `English language learner';
and
(B) by redesignating paragraphs (6), (7), (8), (9), and (10), as paragraphs
(7), (8), (9), (10), and (6), respectively;
(3) in section 224(b)(10)(D) (20 U.S.C. 9224(b)(10)(D)), by striking `individuals
with limited English proficiency' and inserting `English language learners';
and
(4) in section 243(2)(D)(ii) (20 U.S.C. 9253(2)(D)(ii)), by striking `individuals
with limited English proficiency who are adults' and inserting `adult English
language learners'.
(b) Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965-
(1) AMENDMENT- Section 9101(25) of the Elementary and Secondary Education
Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801(25)) is amended by striking the matter preceding
subparagraph (A) and inserting the following:
`(25) ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNER- The term `English language learner' means
an individual--'.
(2) REFERENCES- Any reference in the Elementary and Secondary Education
Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.) to an individual who is limited English
proficient shall be construed to refer to an English language learner.
SEC. 103. RESEARCH IN ADULT EDUCATION.
(a) In General- Section 133(c)(2)(A) of the Education Sciences Reform Act
of 2002 (20 U.S.C. 9533(c)(2)(A)) is amended by inserting `education and'
before `literacy'.
(b) National Research and Development Center-
(1) IN GENERAL- The Secretary of Education shall direct the Commissioner
for Education Research of the National Center for Education Research established
pursuant to section 131 of the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (20
U.S.C. 9531) to establish a national research and development center for
adult education and literacy as described in section 133(c)(2)(A) of such
Act (20 U.S.C. 9533(c)(2)(A)) (as amended by subsection (a)).
(2) PROVISION FOR EXPANSION OF RESEARCH- If, as of the date of enactment
of this Act, the Commissioner has established a center for adult literacy
in accordance with section 133(c)(2)(A) of the Education Sciences Reform
Act of 2002, the Commissioner shall expand the topic of research of such
center to include adult education, in accordance with the amendment made
by subsection (a).
TITLE II--SUPPORTING ENGLISH LANGUAGE ACQUISITION AND ADULT EDUCATION IN
THE WORKFORCE
SEC. 201. PRESIDENTIAL AWARD FOR BUSINESS LEADERSHIP IN PROMOTING UNITED
STATES CITIZENSHIP.
(a) Establishment- There is established the Presidential Award for Business
Leadership in Promoting United States Citizenship (referred to in this section
as the `Presidential Citizenship Award'), which shall be awarded to companies
and other organizations that make extraordinary efforts in assisting their
employees and members to learn English and increase their understanding of
United States history and civics.
(b) Selection and Presentation of Award-
(1) SELECTION- The President shall periodically award the Presidential Citizenship
Award to large and small companies and other organizations described in
subsection (a) after reviewing recommendations to the President with respect
to such award by the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Secretary of
Commerce.
(2) PRESENTATION- The presentation of the Presidential Citizenship Award
shall be made by the President, or a designee of the President, in conjunction
with an appropriate ceremony.
TITLE III--BUILDING STRONGER COMMUNITIES
SEC. 301. OFFICE OF CITIZENSHIP AND IMMIGRANT INTEGRATION.
(a) Renaming of the Office of Citizenship and Immigrant Integration-
(1) IN GENERAL- The Office of Citizenship within United States Citizenship
and Immigration Services of the Department of Homeland Security shall be
renamed the `Office of Citizenship and Immigrant Integration'.
(2) CONFORMING AMENDMENT- Section 451(f) of the Homeland Security Act of
2002 (6 U.S.C. 271(f)) is amended--
(A) in the subsection heading, by striking `Citizenship.' and inserting
`Citizenship and Immigrant Integration.';
(B) in paragraph (1), by inserting `and Immigrant Integration' after `Office
of Citizenship'; and
(C) in paragraph (2), by inserting `and Immigrant Integration' after `Office
of Citizenship'.
(3) REFERENCES- Any reference in a law, regulation, document, paper, or
other record of the United States to the Office of Citizenship within United
States Citizenship and Immigration Services of the Department of Homeland
Security shall be deemed to be a reference to the `Office of Citizenship
and Immigrant Integration'.
(b) Functions- Section 451(f)(2) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C.
271(f)(2)), as amended by subsection (a)(2)(C), is further amended by striking
`for promoting' and all that follows through the period and inserting `for--
`(A) establishing national goals for introducing new Americans into the
United States and measuring the degree to which such goals are met;
`(B) assessing and coordinating Federal policies, regulations, task forces,
and commissions related to introducing immigrants into the United States;
`(C) continuing with the efforts of the Task Force on New Americans established
under Executive Order No. 13404 to facilitate a dialogue among Federal
agencies, make recommendations to the President of the United States,
and follow through with initiatives administered by the Task Force under
the authority of such Executive Order;
`(D) serving as a liaison and intermediary with State and local governments
and other entities to assist in establishing local goals, task forces,
and councils to assist in introducing immigrants to the United States;
`(E) coordinating with other Federal agencies to provide information to
State and local governments on the demand for English acquisition programs
and best practices in place on the Federal and State level for aliens
who have recently arrived in the United States;
`(F) assisting States in coordinating activities with the grant program
carried out under title III of the Strengthen and Unite Communities with
Civics Education and English Development Act of 2011; and
`(G) promoting instruction and training on citizenship responsibilities
for aliens interested in becoming naturalized citizens of the United States,
including the development of educational materials for such aliens.'.
(c) Donations- Section 451(f) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C.
271(f)), as amended by this section, is further amended by adding at the end
the following:
`(A) ACCEPTANCE OF DONATIONS- The Chief of the Office of Citizenship and
Immigrant Integration may accept monetary and in-kind donations to support
the activities described in paragraph (2).
`(B) DEDICATION OF FUNDS- Notwithstanding any other provision of law--
`(i) any funds donated to the Office of Citizenship and Immigrant Integration
to support the activities described in paragraph (2) shall be deposited
entirely into an account established for such purpose;
`(ii) the funds contained in such account shall be used solely to support
such activities; and
`(iii) funds that were not donated for the exclusive purpose of supporting
such activities may not be deposited into such account.'.
(d) Report to Congress- The Chief of the Office of Citizenship and Immigrant
Integration shall submit a biennial report to the authorizing Committees in
Congress that describes the activities of the office.
SEC. 302. GRANTS TO STATES.
(a) Authority To Provide Grants- Subject to subsections (c) and (d), the Chief
of the Office of Citizenship and Immigrant Integration is authorized to provide
competitive grants to States to form State New American Councils as described
in subsection (b) to carry out activities described in section 303.
(b) State New American Councils- A State New American Council shall consist
of not less than 15 and not more than 19 individuals from the State and shall
include, to the extent practicable, representatives from the following sectors:
(2) Faith-based organizations.
(4) Philanthropic leaders.
(5) Nonprofit organizations, including those with experience working with
immigrant communities.
(6) Representatives from key education stakeholders, such as State educational
agencies, local educational agencies, community colleges, teachers, or organizations
representing teachers and other employees.
(7) Representatives of State adult education offices.
(8) Representatives of State or local public libraries.
(9) Representatives of statewide or local government officials.
(c) Waiver of Requirement-
(1) AUTHORITY TO GRANT- The Chief of the Office of Citizenship and Immigrant
Integration may award a grant under subsection (a) to a State without requiring
the State to form a State New American Council if the Chief determines that
the State is carrying out similar statewide initiatives to introduce immigrants
into the State and into the United States.
(2) GUIDELINES- The Chief shall establish guidelines for awarding grants
to States described in paragraph (1).
(d) Grants to Local Governments- The Chief of the Office of Citizenship and
Immigrant Integration may provide a grant under subsection (a) to a local
government at the discretion of the Chief.
(e) Application- To be eligible to receive a grant under this section, an
applicant shall submit an application to the Chief of the Office of Citizenship
and Immigrant Integration at such time, in such manner, and containing such
information as the Chief may reasonably require. Such application shall include--
(1) if the applicant is a State seeking to form a State New American Council,
an assurance that such State New American Council will meet the requirements
of subsection (b);
(2) the number of immigrants in the State in which the applicant is located;
(3) a description of the challenges in introducing new Americans in the
State and local community; and
(4) any other information that the Chief may reasonably require.
(f) Duration- A grant awarded under subsection (a) shall be for a period of
5 years.
(g) Priority- Priority shall be given to grant applications that--
(1) use matching funds, from non-Federal sources, which may include in-kind
contributions; and
(2) demonstrate collaboration with private entities to achieve the goals
of their comprehensive plan.
(h) Additional Consideration- Additional consideration shall be given to grant
applications submitted by States with a large increase in the population of
immigrants over the previous 10 years relative to past migration patterns,
based on data compiled by the Office of Immigration Statistics of the Department
of Homeland Security.
(i) Grant Amount- The amount of a grant awarded under subsection (a) shall
be not less than $500,000 and not more than $5,000,000 for each fiscal year.
(1) NATIONAL- The Chief of the Office of Citizenship and Immigrant Integration
shall reserve not more than 1 percent of the amount appropriated to carry
out this section for such Office, including the evaluation of funds distributed.
(2) STATES- A State awarded a grant under subsection (a) may reserve not
more than 10 percent of such grant amount for the creation and operation
of the State New American Council.
SEC. 303. AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.
(a) Mandatory Activities- A grant awarded under section 302(a) shall be used--
(1) to develop, implement, expand, or enhance a comprehensive plan to introduce
new immigrants into the State, including the increase in English literacy,
U.S. history, and civics education;
(2) to provide subgrants to local communities as described in subsection
(c);
(3) if the grant is awarded to a State to form a State New American Council,
to convene meetings of the State New American Council not less frequently
than once each quarter;
(4) to disseminate best practices and other information compiled by the
Office of Citizenship and Immigrant Integration that pertains to effective
programs for English acquisition and civics education; and
(5) to convene public hearings not less frequently than once each year to
report on the activities carried out by such grant.
(b) Permissible Activities- A grant awarded under section 302(a) may be used--
(1) to solicit and disseminate solutions and remedies to the challenges
of introducing new Americans in the State or municipality in which the grant
is awarded;
(2) to provide technical assistance, training, or coordination for State
or local agencies to improve programs to introduce new Americans into the
United States, such as English literacy, U.S. history, and civics education;
(3) to review and develop strategies to expand distance learning as a method
of instruction for English literacy, U.S. history, and civics education
and available technological programs that may supplement or supplant quality
classroom instruction;
(4) to coordinate with entities of other States engaged in activities under
this title or other activities to introduce new Americans into the State
or community; and
(5) to develop materials focused on preparation for the naturalization test,
engage in outreach and educational activities on the naturalization process,
and provide assistance to immigrants with the naturalization application,
where appropriate.
(c) Subgrants to Local Communities-
(1) REQUIREMENT TO AWARD- A grant under section 302(a) shall be used to
award subgrants to entities of local governments to assist communities with
local efforts to introduce new Americans into the community.
(2) AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES- Subgrants shall be awarded under paragraph (1)
to entities of local governments for use to carry out activities in accordance
with--
(A) a comprehensive plan described in subsection (a)(1); and
(B) any guidance provided by the Chief of the Office of Citizenship and
Immigrant Integration.
(3) SUBGRANT AMOUNT- The amount of a subgrant awarded under this subsection
shall be not less than $100,000 and not more than $600,000 for a fiscal
year.
SEC. 304. REPORTING AND EVALUATION.
(a) Reporting Requirement-
(1) IN GENERAL- Each entity awarded a grant under section 302(a) shall submit
a report annually to the Office of Citizenship and Immigrant Integration
that--
(A) describes the activities of the State New American Council and subgrant
recipients and how these activities meet the goals of--
(i) the Chief of the Office of Citizenship and Immigrant Integration;
and
(ii) the comprehensive plan described in section 303(a)(1); and
(B) describes the geographic areas being served, the number of immigrants
in such areas, and the primary languages spoken there.
(2) OTHER REQUIREMENTS- The Chief of the Office of Citizenship and Immigrant
Integration may set out other requirements as the Chief sees fit in order
to--
(A) impose accountability; and
(B) measure the outcomes of the activities carried out with grants awarded
under section 302(a).
(b) Annual Evaluation- The Chief of the Office of Citizenship and Immigrant
Integration shall conduct an annual evaluation of the grant program established
under this title and use such evaluation--
(1) to improve the effectiveness of programs carried out by the Chief;
(2) to assess future needs of immigrants and of State and local governments
related to immigrants;
(3) to determine the effectiveness of such grant program; and
(4) to ensure that the grantees and subgrantees are acting within the scope
and purpose of this title.
SEC. 305. NEW CITIZENS AWARD PROGRAM.
(a) Establishment- There is established a new citizens award program to recognize
citizens who--
(1) have made an outstanding contribution to the United States; and
(2) are naturalized during the 10-year period ending on the date of such
recognition.
(b) Presentation Authorized-
(1) IN GENERAL- The President is authorized to present a medal, in recognition
of outstanding contributions to the United States, to citizens described
in subsection (a).
(2) MAXIMUM NUMBER OF AWARDS- Not more than 10 citizens may receive a medal
under this section in any calendar year.
SEC. 306. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.
Nothing in this title shall be construed to limit the authority of the Secretary
of Homeland Security, acting through the Director of United States Citizenship
and Immigration Services or such other officials of the Department of Homeland
Security as the Secretary of Homeland Security may direct, to manage, direct,
and control the activities of the Chief of the Office of Citizenship and Immigrant
Integration.
SEC. 307. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this title $100,000,000
for each of the fiscal years 2012 through 2017.
END
