# 119-hr-9971: Advancing International and Foreign Language Education Act

119-hr-9971, Advancing International and Foreign Language Education Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Ross, Deborah K. [D-NC-2] (D-NC); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-03).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9971
- As of: 2026-10-03
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-9971
- Congress: 119
- Title: Advancing International and Foreign Language Education Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-07-27
- Sponsor: Rep. Ross, Deborah K. [D-NC-2] (D-NC)
- Cosponsors: 2
- Policy area: Education
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-10-03

## Summary

**Expands and modernizes Title VI programs to build a workforce with global language and professional skills tied to economic and national security needs.** It creates new grant streams, broadens eligibility, and requires a national database and public reporting. - Students and faculty — Graduate students may count beginning, intermediate, or advanced foreign language study as related to their field for Title VI language centers. The bill also supports fellowships, internships, and curriculum changes to add international and language components for undergraduate and graduate learners. - Minority-serving institutions and community colleges — A consolidated International Research and Innovation program will fund research and innovation and must maintain a national standardized database plus a 5-Year Report. Research grants carry a Federal share of 66.7% and a non-Federal share of 33.3% with waiver authority for eligible institutions. - Employers, professional schools, and the workforce — A new Professional and Technical Education program funds interdisciplinary global training across business, STEM, law, health, and other fields and emphasizes public-private partnerships. Those grants are capped at a 50% Federal share with at least a 50% non-Federal match and may be awarded only if Title VI funding for the year exceeds the fiscal year 2027 level.

## Cosponsors (2)

- Rep. Foushee, Valerie P. [D-NC-4] (D-NC), 2026-07-27T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Panetta, Jimmy [D-CA-19] (D-CA), 2026-07-27T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Authorize multi-year Title VI funding: benefit, medium. If enacted, the bill would authorize such sums as may be necessary to carry out Title VI in fiscal year 2027 and each of the five succeeding fiscal years. The bill does not specify dollar amounts in statute. This authorization would enable Congress to provide multi-year funding for Title VI program…
- More language study for grad students: benefit, low. If enacted, the bill would let graduate students count beginning, intermediate, or advanced foreign language study as related to their area of specialization under Language and Area Centers and Programs rules. This change would make it easier for some graduate students to qualify for program suppor…
- New international research program grants: benefit, low. If enacted, the bill would create a national International Research and Innovation program to fund research, studies, and innovation in international and foreign language education. Competitive grants and contracts would go to colleges, public and private nonprofit libraries, and nonprofit educatio…
- Grants for global professional training: mixed, low. If enacted, the bill would create a competitive program to fund college programs that add global skills to professional and technical training. Eligible applicants would be colleges, consortia, or partnerships with private or nonprofit partners, and projects must show sustainability and replicabili…
- Restructure Title VI and definitions: mixed, low. If enacted, the bill would rename and broaden parts of Title VI to emphasize global business and professional education and add "security" to national interests. It would add new definitions, including for community college, heritage student, and minority‑serving institution. The bill would also st…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025
- 119-hr-3816: Weather Act Reauthorization Act of 2025
- 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act
- 119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act
- 119-hr-5356: National Infrastructure Bank Act of 2025
- 119-hr-7853: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026

## Sources
- [119-hr-9971 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/9971)

## Related
- [119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4669)
- [119-hr-3816: Weather Act Reauthorization Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3816)
- [119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7973)
- [119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7977)
- [119-hr-5356: National Infrastructure Bank Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5356)
- [119-hr-7853: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7853)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9971 (as of 2026-10-03).