Skip to main content
HR 5700 114th Congress House Education Education programs funding Elementary and secondary education Higher education Indian social and development programs Language arts Licensing and registrations Minority education School administration Student aid and college costs Teaching, teachers, curricula

NEST Act

Introduced: July 8, 2016 Introduced by: Ruiz, Raul Democratic · California See on congress.gov
Sign in to write a letter Sign in to watch
 Everywhere this bill has been 4 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Sep 19, 2016
Referred to the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training.
Sep 19, 2016
Referred to the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education.
Jul 8, 2016
Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
Jul 8, 2016
Introduced in House
 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Native Educator Support and Training Act or the NEST Act

This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to establish scholarships, loan forgiveness plans, and training programs for educators who commit to teaching in Native American or Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) schools.

This bill establishes three scholarship programs for students who are seeking degrees in education or school administration at institutions of higher education and commit to teaching in Native American or BIE schools:

  • the Indian Student Educator Scholarship Program for students seeking degrees,
  • the Indian Educator Scholarship Program for Indian students seeking degrees, and
  • the Indian Educator Graduate Fellowship Program for Indian students seeking graduate degrees.

Recipients of the scholarships must commit to working for a BIE school, a school serving Native Americans, or other specified schools and agencies for the greater of three years or the number of school years that the scholarship funded.

The bill establishes loan forgiveness programs for educators and Native Americans who have taught for at least five consecutive years at BIE schools or local educational agencies with high percentages of Native American students.

The bill extends the federal Perkins Loan Cancellation Program to educators teaching in BIE schools or in Native American language immersion programs.

The bill authorizes professional development grants for native-serving elementary and secondary schools. It also establishes the Native American Language Teacher Training Program to provide grants for institutions of higher education to develop training programs for Native American immersion and language teachers.

What's happening now September 19, 2016

Referred to the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training.

 Committees of jurisdiction 3