CSHB 387(EDC): "An Act establishing the Joint Legislative Alaska Native Languages Academic Task Force."
00 CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 387(EDC) 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, at least one of whom is a 09 member of the minority, appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives; and 10 (2) three members of the senate, at least one of whom is a member of the 11 minority, appointed by the president of the senate. 12 (c) The task force shall 13 (1) hold public meetings and solicit input from communities and experts in the 14 field of Alaska Native languages; 15 (2) conduct a comprehensive review of the current state of academic activities 16 related to Alaska Native languages within the University of Alaska system, including 17 (A) Alaska Native language teacher training programs; 18 (B) research archives, publications, and linguistic documentation; 19 (C) staffing levels, faculty expertise, and leadership structures; 20 (D) institutional capacity for sustaining long-term research efforts; and 21 (E) opportunities for career advancement for Alaska Native language 22 teachers; 23 (3) evaluate academic and institutional approaches to impactful and relevant 24 linguistic research, including 25 (A) digital archiving and data sovereignty practices; 26 (B) methods for integrating research into curriculum and teacher 27 training; 28 (C) comparative review of models used by other states, Indigenous 29 communities, and international institutions; and 30 (D) access to physical and digital materials by language learners and 31 language schools and programs;
01 (4) assess risks to the preservation of research regarding Alaska Native 02 languages, including 03 (A) workforce shortages and loss of expertise; 04 (B) gaps in funding and administrative support; and 05 (C) vulnerabilities in data storage, access, and ownership; 06 (5) examine partnership opportunities with Alaska Native tribes and 07 organizations, national and international universities, federal agencies, nonprofit 08 organizations, and publishing and digital archiving institutions; 09 (6) recommend statutory updates relating to 10 (A) the recruitment, retention, and training of Alaska Native language 11 teachers; 12 (B) the development of Alaska Native language schools and programs 13 across the state; 14 (C) legislative support for Alaska Native language research and stable 15 and sustained funding mechanisms for Alaska Native language research; and 16 (D) institutional responsibilities within the University of Alaska 17 system; and 18 (7) recommend strategies to ensure 19 (A) growth in the number of licensed and certified teachers of Alaska 20 Native languages in the state; 21 (B) growth in the recruitment, retention, and training of qualified 22 linguistic researchers; 23 (C) the continued documentation, description, and publication of 24 materials on Alaska Native languages; 25 (D) long-term growth and accessibility of Alaska Native language 26 academic research; 27 (E) expansion of research capacity and publication efforts; and 28 (F) alignment with community priorities and cultural protocols. 29 (d) In performing the duties of the task force under this section, the task force shall 30 prioritize 31 (1) the urgent need to strengthen and preserve endangered Alaska Native
01 languages; 02 (2) maintaining respect for Indigenous knowledge systems and community 03 leadership; and 04 (3) continuing the legislature's original intent in establishing the Alaska Native 05 Language Center. 06 (e) The task force may 07 (1) accept appropriations from the legislature; and 08 (2) meet virtually. 09 (f) Not later than one year after the first meeting of the task force, the task force shall 10 submit a final report with findings and recommendations made under (c) of this section to the 11 senate secretary and the chief clerk of the house of representatives and notify the legislature 12 that the report is available. 13 * Sec. 3. The Joint Legislative Alaska Native Languages Academic Task Force, established 14 in sec. 2 of this Act, terminates on December 31, 2027.