WASHINGTON, DC – On June 5 2019, Representative Julia Brownley [D-CA-26] reintroduced H.R.3119 or the “Biliteracy Education Seal and Teaching (BEST) Act”. The bill was introduced as tens of thousands of students attend Seal of Biliteracy awards ceremonies across the nation. This bill would create a program of 2-year grants to State Education Agencies (SEAs) to develop, implement, or improve the Seal of Biliteracy, with additional funding for high-impact districts to defray the cost of testing.
Representative Brownley was a pioneer of the Seal in California during the early aughts. According to the Congresswoman’s official website:
As Chairwoman of the California Assembly Education Committee, Brownley authored the California State Assembly’s act that established the State Seal of Biliteracy which has been so successful in California, the first seal of its kind in the United States. In the 2013-2014 school year, over 24,000 high school seniors in 219 school districts across California participated in this program, earning their seals for achievement in 40 different languages. In Ventura County, 525 students in 14 high schools participated.
JNCL-NCLIS is working with the Californian’s office to find additional co-sponsors for the bill as well as a larger “legislative vehicle” for passage.
As a constituent, your voice matters. Click here to contact your House member today and ask that they become a co-sponsor to H.R.3119 today!