HB 387: "An Act establishing the Joint Legislative Alaska Native Languages Academic Task Force."
00 HOUSE BILL NO. 387 01 "An Act establishing the Joint Legislative Alaska Native Languages Academic Task 02 Force." 03 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 04 * Section 1. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section 05 to read: 06 LEGISLATIVE FINDINGS. The legislature finds that 07 (1) the state has long recognized the cultural, historical, and linguistic 08 significance of Alaska Native languages, all of which are endangered, and most of which are 09 at risk of losing their remaining fluent speakers within the next decade; 10 (2) the Alaska Native Language Center was established by the legislature in 11 1972 to serve as the primary institution for the study, documentation, preservation, and 12 revitalization of Alaska Native languages; 13 (3) the Alaska Native Language Center is legislatively mandated to document 14 languages, develop literacy materials, assist in translation, promote Alaska Native literature,
01 and train speakers to serve as bilingual educators; 02 (4) decades of academic research conducted through the Alaska Native 03 Language Center and affiliated scholars represents an irreplaceable body of linguistic, 04 cultural, and educational knowledge; 05 (5) recent reports indicate that the Alaska Native Language Center faces 06 significant challenges that include budget constraints, staffing shortages, lack of permanent 07 leadership, and reduced research capacity, which threaten the center's ability to fulfill its 08 mission; 09 (6) the loss of tenure-track and tenured faculty, research staff, publications 10 capacity, and institutional support jeopardizes the development of literacy materials and the 11 continued documentation and dissemination of Alaska Native languages; 12 (7) the number of qualified linguistic specialists in many Alaska Native 13 languages is extremely limited, in some cases numbering only a handful worldwide, which 14 underscores the urgency of preserving existing academic research; 15 (8) the development of teaching materials for Alaska Native languages 16 requires extensive long-term academic research, which often takes decades, particularly for 17 languages with limited written documentation; 18 (9) the absence of coordinated oversight, long-term funding strategies, and 19 statutory clarity may contribute to systemic vulnerabilities in the preservation of academic 20 research related to Alaska Native languages; 21 (10) partnerships between the University of Alaska system, Alaska Native 22 communities, tribal organizations, and external academic institutions are critical to sustaining 23 and expanding research and preservation efforts; 24 (11) the state has yet to develop a long-term vision for Alaska Native 25 languages that includes budget increases to the Alaska Native Language Center in particular; 26 and 27 (12) it is in the interest of the state to ensure that Alaska Native language 28 teacher training, academic research, documentation, and scholarly infrastructure supporting 29 Alaska Native languages are preserved, strengthened, and made accessible for future 30 generations. 31 * Sec. 2. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section to
01 read: 02 JOINT LEGISLATIVE ALASKA NATIVE LANGUAGES ACADEMIC TASK 03 FORCE. (a) The Joint Legislative Alaska Native Languages Academic Task Force is 04 established in the legislature for the purpose of furthering the instruction and preservation of 05 Alaska Native languages. The task force shall convene not later than 90 days after the 06 effective date of this Act. 07 (b) The task force membership consists of 08 (1) three members of the house of representatives, appointed by the speaker of 09 the house of representatives; and 10 (2) three members of the senate, appointed by the president of the senate. 11 (c) The task force shall 12 (1) hold public meetings and solicit input from communities and experts in the 13 field of Alaska Native languages; 14 (2) conduct a comprehensive review of the current state of academic activities 15 related to Alaska Native languages within the University of Alaska system, including 16 (A) Alaska Native language teacher training programs; 17 (B) research archives, publications, and linguistic documentation; 18 (C) staffing levels, faculty expertise, and leadership structures; 19 (D) institutional capacity for sustaining long-term research efforts; and 20 (E) opportunities for career advancement for Alaska Native language 21 teachers; 22 (3) evaluate academic and institutional approaches to impactful and relevant 23 linguistic research, including 24 (A) digital archiving and data sovereignty practices; 25 (B) methods for integrating research into curriculum and teacher 26 training; 27 (C) comparative review of models used by other states, Indigenous 28 communities, and international institutions; and 29 (D) access to physical and digital materials by language learners and 30 language schools and programs; 31 (4) assess risks to the preservation of research regarding Alaska Native
01 languages, including 02 (A) workforce shortages and loss of expertise; 03 (B) gaps in funding and administrative support; 04 (C) vulnerabilities in data storage, access, and ownership; and 05 (D) low morale relating to treatment of former Alaska Native 06 Language Center employees; 07 (5) examine partnership opportunities with Alaska Native tribes and 08 organizations, national and international universities, federal agencies, nonprofit 09 organizations, and publishing and digital archiving institutions; 10 (6) recommend statutory updates relating to 11 (A) the recruitment, retention, and training of Alaska Native language 12 teachers; 13 (B) the development of Alaska Native language schools and programs 14 across the state; 15 (C) legislative support for Alaska Native language research and stable 16 and sustained funding mechanisms for Alaska Native language research; and 17 (D) institutional responsibilities within the University of Alaska 18 system; and 19 (7) recommend strategies to ensure 20 (A) growth in the number of licensed and certified teachers of Alaska 21 Native languages in the state; 22 (B) growth in the recruitment, retention, and training of qualified 23 linguistic researchers; 24 (C) the continued documentation, description, and publication of 25 materials on Alaska Native languages; 26 (D) long-term growth and accessibility of Alaska Native language 27 academic research; 28 (E) expansion of research capacity and publication efforts; and 29 (F) alignment with community priorities and cultural protocols. 30 (d) In performing the duties of the task force under this section, the task force shall 31 prioritize
01 (1) the urgent need to strengthen and preserve endangered Alaska Native 02 languages; 03 (2) maintaining respect for Indigenous knowledge systems and community 04 leadership; and 05 (3) continuing the legislature's original intent in establishing the Alaska Native 06 Language Center. 07 (e) The task force may 08 (1) accept appropriations from the legislature; and 09 (2) meet virtually. 10 (f) Not later than one year after the first meeting of the task force, the task force shall 11 submit a final report with findings and recommendations made under (c) of this section to the 12 senate secretary and the chief clerk of the house of representatives and notify the legislature 13 that the report is available. 14 * Sec. 3. The Joint Legislative Alaska Native Languages Academic Task Force terminates 15 December 31, 2027.