# Native American Language Resource Center Act of 2021

This bill creates a new national center dedicated to helping Native American communities preserve and teach their languages. The government would fund and support a resource center—likely based at a university or tribal college—that would serve as a hub for Native American language education and revitalization efforts across the country.

The center would do practical work like developing teaching materials, training teachers, creating distance learning programs, and sharing best practices for language instruction. It would help schools at all levels—from preschools to colleges—incorporate Native American languages into their curricula the same way they teach Spanish, French, or other world languages. The center would also work to identify and fix barriers in federal laws that might prevent Native American language education, and it would help develop teacher training programs and alternative certification pathways so more qualified instructors can teach these languages.

The bill recognizes that Native American languages have been suppressed and discouraged for generations, and it aims to help reverse that damage. By creating this resource center, the government is acknowledging its responsibility to support Native American communities in keeping their languages alive. The center would connect different programs and organizations working on language preservation, share successful strategies, and help tribal colleges develop complete education systems—from preschool through adult classes—where Native American languages are the primary language of instruction.

The bill would authorize $3 million per year in funding for this center, making it a modest but dedicated investment in Native American language preservation and education.

Native American Language Resource Center Act of 2021

Young, Don

Native American Language Resource Center Act of 2021 This bill authorizes the Department of Education to make a grant to or enter into a contract with an eligible entity (e.g., an institution of higher education) to establish, operate, and staff a Native American language resource and training center. The center must serve as a resource to improve the capacity to teach and learn Native American languages.