Adults Achieving the American Dream Act

About the Act

The Adults Achieving the American Dream Act (H.R. 2214), sponsored by Congressman Rubén Hinojosa (TX), makes important changes to several different laws to address the needs of individuals of limited English proficiency and to address issues related to adult education.

This legislation will:

• Increase the authorization for programs under the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act to $1.2 billion by the fiscal year 2013.
• Authorize the set-aside for integrated English literacy and civics programs in the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (Workforce Investment Act, Title II).
• Provide technical support and professional development for integrated English literacy and civics programs.
• Increase authorization for Even Start Family Literacy programs to $500 million.
• Dedicate a research and development center to adult education and literacy at the Institute for Education Sciences.
• Dedicate a percentage of immigration fines to integrated English literacy and civics programs.
• Offer tax incentives to employers who offer adult education and English as a second language programs to their employees.

This bill amends the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (Workforce Investment Act, Title II) and will be in play as Congress considers reauthorizing WIA.

What’s the Issue

The Coalition supports the Hinojosa bill, which addresses many of the field’s concerns. The legislation will:

• Increase access to adult education and family literacy programs by increasing the authorization amount to a level that will clear waiting lists and address the need for services.
• Secure EL/Civics by “codifying” the English Literacy and Civics program, securing it under the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act.
• Increase teacher access to professional development.
• Restore the field’s national research and development center. The former center (NCSALL) was defunded during the Bush administration while at the same time the Bush administration asked educators to use evidence-based practices.
• Promote collaboration with businesses in providing English language learning services: Workplaces provide employees a way to learn English. This helps English language learners be safe, effective, and efficient at work.

Next Steps

Congressman Hinojosa, the sponsor of this bill, is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Higher Education, Lifelong Learning and Competitiveness, which is responsible for issues related to adult education. As such, this bill will have a major impact on WIA reauthorization. We will monitor this bill to see if is re-introduced during the 111th Congress.  See Legislative Updates to keep informed. Sign up to receive action alerts.

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