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HR 1203 105th Congress House

To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to ensure that funds provided under such Act are not used to promote the teaching or use of regional or group dialects.

Introduced: March 21, 1997 See on congress.gov
Education Economics and Public FinanceElementary and secondary educationEnglish languageFederal aid to education
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Government Operations and PoliticsLanguage and languagesTeaching materials
This bill died when the 105th Congress ended
It never became law before the 105th Congress (1997–1998) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 4 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Apr 21, 1997
Referred to the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Youth and Families.
Mar 21, 1997
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E558)
Mar 20, 1997
Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
Mar 20, 1997
Introduced in House
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 Latest action April 21, 1997

Referred to the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Youth and Families.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to prohibit the use of ESEA funds to promote teaching or using dialects peculiar to a region or group within the U.S. population.

Allows teachers, notwithstanding such prohibition, to: (1) be trained in, use, and teach foreign languages; and (2) communicate in their own modes of speech, if no special effort is made to teach or encourage students to communicate in such modes of speech.

 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 2
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APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 1203: To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to ensure that funds provided under such Act are not used to promote the teaching or use of regional or group dialects.. 105th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/105-HR-1203/
MLA
"H.R. 1203: To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to ensure that funds provided under such Act are not used to promote the teaching or use of regional or group dialects.." 105th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/105-HR-1203/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 1203, 105th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/105-HR-1203/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 1203: To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to ensure that funds provided under such Act are not used to promote the teaching or use of regional or group dialects.](https://openamerica.io/bill/105-HR-1203/)
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