Native American Languages Act of 1991

Native American Languages Act of 1991 - Amends the Native American Programs Act of 1974 to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants, under specified conditions, to organizations to assist Native Americans in assuring the survival and continuing vitality of their languages.

Authorizes appropriations.

 
HR 4517 IH
102d CONGRESS
2d Session
 H. R. 4517
To assist Native Americans in assuring the survival and continuing vitality
of their languages.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 19, 1992
Mr. MARTINEZ introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs
A BILL
To assist Native Americans in assuring the survival and continuing vitality
of their languages.
  Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United
  States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
  This Act may be cited as the `Native American Languages Act of 1991'.
SEC. 2. GRANT PROGRAM.
  The Native American Programs Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 2991) is amended by
  adding after section 803A the following new section:
`SEC. 803B. GRANT PROGRAM TO ASSURE THE SURVIVAL AND CONTINUING VITALITY OF
NATIVE AMERICAN LANGUAGES.
  `(a) IN GENERAL- The Secretary shall award grants to any organization
  that is--
  `(1) eligible for financial assistance under section 803(a); and
  `(2) selected pursuant to subsection (c) of this section;
for the purposes of assisting Native Americans in assuring the survival and
continuing vitality of their languages.
  `(b) IN PARTICULAR- The specific purposes for which grants awarded under
  subsection (a) may be used include, but are not limited to--
  `(1) the construction of new facilities or the conversion of existing
  facilities into centers for the preservation and enhancement of Native
  American languages;
  `(2) the establishment of community language programs to bring older and
  younger Native Americans together to facilitate the transfer of language
  skills from one generation to another;
  `(3) the establishment of training programs to train speakers of Native
  American languages to teach such languages to others;
  `(4) the development, printing, and dissemination of materials to be used
  for the teaching and enhancement of Native American languages;
  `(5) the establishment or support of training programs to train Native
  Americans to produce or participate in television or radio programs to be
  broadcast in their native languages; and
  `(6) the compilation of oral testimony to record or preserve Native
  American languages.
  `(c) APPLICATIONS- Grants shall be awarded on the basis of applications
  that are submitted by any of the entities described in subsection (a)
  to the Secretary in such form as the Secretary shall prescribe, but the
  applications shall, at a minimum, include--
  `(1) a detailed description of the project for which a grant is sought; and
  `(2) a statement of objectives that are consonant with the purposes of
  this section.
  `(d) AMOUNT OF FUNDING- Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act,
  the costs of programs that are awarded grants pursuant to this section
  shall be paid in accordance with the following paragraphs:
  `(1) 90 PERCENT OF COSTS- The grants awarded pursuant to this section shall
  provide funding for not more than 90 percent of the costs of the programs
  that are recipients of such grants.
  `(2) REMAINING 10 PERCENT OF COSTS- The remaining 10 percent of the costs
  of programs that are awarded grants under this section shall be paid by
  the grant recipient either in cash or through the provision of property
  or services.
  `(3) LIMITATION- The amount referred to in paragraph (2) may originate from
  any source (including any Federal agency) other than a program, contract,
  or grant authorized under this Act.
  `(e) ADMINISTRATION- The Secretary shall administer grants under this
  section through the Administration for Native Americans.'.
SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
  Section 816 of the Native American Programs Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 2992d)
  is amended--
  (1) by striking out `sections 803(d) and 803A' each place it appears and
  inserting in lieu thereof `sections 803(d), 803A, and 803B'; and
  (2) by adding at the end the following new subsection:
  `(e) There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as are necessary
  for each of the fiscal years 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, and 1997 for the
  purpose of carrying out the provisions of section 803B of this Act.'.