WASHINGTON, D.C. — Last Monday, top JNCL-NCLIS language policy priority, the World Language Advancement and Readiness Act of 2019 (WLARA), was introduced in the Senate.
This continued success for WLARA and the Language Enterprise comes less than two weeks after the unanimous House vote to include WLARA as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
Current New Jersey Senator and 2020 Presidential Candidate, Cory Booker, introduced the legislation as a standalone bill (S.2307) in the 116th Congress. The bill's text focuses on the future of national security, the need for social and legal services in multiple languages, and the cognitive benefits of second language acquisition.
"The World Language Advancement and Readiness Act is our nation's essential next step in preparing linguistically adept problem-solvers for the world," said JNCL-NCLIS president-elect and NJ business owner Amanda Seewald.
"New Jersey's parents, educators and business owners are grateful to Senator Booker for continuing the exceptional legacy and leadership of federal legislators from the Garden State on the issue of world language education. Senator Booker is standing up for all learners' rights to a multilingual future and for our country's need to reach out globally through well-articulated language education."
Executive Director of JNCL-NCLIS, Dr. Bill Rivers, commented on the crucial need for the bill, “The World Languages Advancement and Readiness Act will make America safer, by strategically developing our national capacity in languages, and will improve the quality of our schools by supporting language learning across the country.”
Following the continued momentum, JNCL-NCLIS is working to garner cosponsoring support from additional Senate offices. Check languagepolicy.org for updated advocacy news and alerts.
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