At the end of July, before leaving for recess, Representatives Deborah Ross (D-North Carolina), Valerie Foushee (D-North Carolina), and Jimmy Panetta (D-California) introduced a full reauthorization of Title VI of the Higher Education Act. A companion to the Senate version (S. 239) of this bill, the House’s Advancing International and Foreign Language Education Act would reauthorize US Department of Education foreign language and higher education programs at colleges and universities through 2030. This introduction opens the possibility of Title VI reauthorization occurring before the end of the 118th Congress.
Jon Bernstein, of the Joint National Committee for Languages–National Council for Languages and International Studies (JNCL–NCLIS), summarized the consequences of the act as:
Reauthorization and extension of programs for international and foreign language studies, including National Resource Centers, Language Resource Centers, Undergraduate International Studies, and American Overseas Research Centers.
Reauthorization of Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowships, allowing graduate students to receive stipends for studying foreign languages.
Extension and updating of the International Research and Innovation program, including establishing a national database on international and foreign language education.
Reauthorization and updating of programs for international business skills and education, including renaming and expanding activities in professional and technical training curricula.
Rep. Jimmy Panetta, a lead sponsor of this bill, stated: “Language education can broaden horizons and expand opportunities for Americans. As the co-chair of the America’s Languages Caucus, I’m proud to support the Advancing International and Foreign Language Education Act, which would extend language programs so critical to building a workforce ready to compete around the world.”
In August, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved its fiscal year 2025 Labor HHS Education bill, requesting significantly more funding than the House version. The Senate bill would increase the department’s funding by more than $900 million and retain all programs, while the House bill would cut $11.1 billion from the Department of Education’s budget and eliminate 17 programs. The Senate bill focused on making significant additions to Title I and IDEA, while Title III, English language acquisition, received a modest $5 million increase despite the House proposing to eliminate all funds for it. Title IV-A, the flexible block grant that some districts use for language education programs, was allocated a $10 million increase over last year, matching the House bill. Title II-A, the professional development grant program, which the House also proposed to eliminate, remained the same as last year, as did Title VI of the Higher Education Act, Indian education, Native Hawaiian education, Alaska Native education, and Native American Language Resource Centers.
