[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 229 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
118th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 229
Recognizing the significance of the 1973 New Mexico Bilingual
Multicultural Education Act on its 50th anniversary and the importance
of cultivating education in both the mother tongue as well as English
for the preservation of culture, identity, and Indigenous knowledge.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 14, 2023
Ms. Leger Fernandez submitted the following resolution; which was
referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Recognizing the significance of the 1973 New Mexico Bilingual
Multicultural Education Act on its 50th anniversary and the importance
of cultivating education in both the mother tongue as well as English
for the preservation of culture, identity, and Indigenous knowledge.
Whereas, when New Mexico became a territory of the United States in 1848, the
predominant languages spoken were Dine (Navajo), Jicarilla and Mescalero
Apache, Keres, Tiwa, Towa, Tewa, Zuni, and Spanish;
Whereas the citizens of the New Mexico territory recognized the importance of
maintaining Spanish and these Indigenous languages, and rejected and
resisted attempts to eradicate these languages as a precondition for
becoming a State;
Whereas, when New Mexico was finally admitted as a State in 1912, its
constitution provided for the education of teachers and students in
Spanish;
Whereas Indigenous leaders recognized that their language was a gift from their
creator which was essential for them to continue teaching successive
generations of their purpose, way of life, customs, and laws;
Whereas Senator Matias Chacon introduced bill 421, the Bilingual Multicultural
Education Act to the New Mexico State Legislature in 1973 in
collaboration with several bilingual education advocates including
Senator Ray Leger and Mela Leger, the director of bilingual education in
the West Las Vegas schools;
Whereas New Mexico was the first State to adopt a bilingual multicultural
education law, and the New Mexico Bilingual Multicultural Education Act
is the only State legislation that acknowledges culture as an important
part of language acquisition;
Whereas, since 1973, New Mexico has allocated State funds to districts for the
implementation of bilingual multicultural education programs, and 70
percent of New Mexico school districts currently implement bilingual
multicultural education programs;
Whereas the New Mexico 520 Alternative Certificate allows members of New
Mexico's 22 Pueblos and Tribal Nations to teach their respective
languages in New Mexico public schools;
Whereas, pursuant to section 2A of the New Mexico Bilingual Multicultural
Education Act of 1973, a ``bilingual multicultural education program''
is a program where children learn through 2 languages, enhance and
foster a positive understanding of the cultures of their environment,
and participate in ``the wealth and beauty of such a rich cultural
heritage'' in ``the pluralistic society in which we now live'';
Whereas bilingual multicultural education supports emergent bilingual students,
prepares all students to participate in a multicultural society, and
ensures equal access to education;
Whereas, in 1968, Congress passed the first major Federal legislation concerning
bilingual education, the Bilingual Education Act (BEA), which became the
English Language Acquisition, Language Enhancement, and Academic
Achievement Act;
Whereas the State Court held in Yazzie/Martinez v. State of New Mexico that the
State failed to provide adequate education for students, particularly
low-income students, English learners, Native Americans, and students
with disabilities, thus requiring the State to ensure schools have the
necessary resources, including sufficient funding, to provide all
students with equal access to education;
Whereas New Mexico is 1 of the 49 States that has approved a Seal of Biliteracy;
Whereas New Mexico is 1 of at least 39 States that provides for training,
professional development, teaching standards, certification, or
endorsements for alternative language teachers in statute or regulation;
Whereas Federal legislation has been proposed to create grants for States to
fund the Seal of Biliteracy program but remains unfulfilled;
Whereas nearly 22 percent of people in the United States speak a language other
than English at home, and the Census Bureau reported that the 5 most
frequently spoken languages other than English are Spanish or Spanish
Creole, Chinese, Tagalog, Vietnamese, and Arabic;
Whereas there are roughly 245 Indigenous languages spoken across the United
States, and many of these are at risk of extinction with only a small
number of speakers remaining;
Whereas English learners are entitled to receive special services based on the
1974 Supreme Court decision in Lau v. Nichols so that they may learn the
same academic content as English speakers and have access to public
education;
Whereas, in 2002, Public Law 107-110 changed the name of the Office of Bilingual
Education and Minority Languages Affairs at the Department of Education
to the Office of English Language Acquisition, Language Enhancement, and
Academic Achievement for Limited English Proficient Students;
Whereas there are thousands of dual language programs across the country, and
States like California, Massachusetts, Utah, North Carolina, Delaware,
and Washington have moved toward dual language initiatives;
Whereas bilingual multicultural education is beneficial to all students, as it
helps promote the development of a student's home or heritage language,
bilingualism, biliteracy, and global awareness;
Whereas language skills, abilities, and practices are interconnected, and the
more a student's home or heritage language is supported, the stronger
effect it will have on acquiring another language; and
Whereas language is an important aspect of a student's identity and culture, and
studies show that being bilingual or multilingual has several benefits
such as increased problem-solving abilities, increased creativity,
increased concentration skills, increased learning, and increased
interpersonal skills: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) supports efforts to incorporate bilingual multicultural
education;
(2) supports efforts to encourage the Office of English
Language Acquisition, Language Enhancement, and Academic
Achievement for Limited English Proficient Students to become
the Office of Multilingual Education;
(3) supports creating grants for teacher development to
increase the number of bilingual teachers and professors in the
United States;
(4) supports creating grants to fund the Seal of Biliteracy
program; and
(5) supports efforts to help American-Indian Tribes and
Nations maintain, revitalize, and teach their Indigenous
languages.
<all>