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H.R. 3550 115th Congress House

Signing is Language Act

Official title: To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to clarify that ASL students are English learners.

Introduced: July 28, 2017 Introduced by: Rick Larsen Democratic · Washington See on congress.gov
Education Disability and paralysisEducation programs fundingElementary and secondary educationForeign language and bilingual programs
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This bill died when the 115th Congress ended
It never became law before the 115th Congress (2017–2018) 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 2 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Jul 28, 2017
Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
Jul 28, 2017
Introduced in House
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 Latest action July 28, 2017

Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Signing is Language Act

This bill amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to: (1) include in the definition of "English learner" an individual whose native language is American Sign Language, and (2) count such individuals in the number of English learners in a state for the purpose of determining the amount of federal funds allotted to a state for English language programs.

 Related & companion bills 1
  • HR 2353 Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act
 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
 Cosponsors 4
All 4 Democratic 3
D
Lofgren, Zoe
California · Nov 16, 2017
 D
Jayapal, Pramila
Washington · Oct 23, 2017
 D
Swalwell, Eric
California · Sep 21, 2017
 D
Moore, Gwen
Wisconsin · Sep 5, 2017
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 3550: Signing is Language Act. 115th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/115-HR-3550/
MLA
"H.R. 3550: Signing is Language Act." 115th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/115-HR-3550/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 3550, 115th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/115-HR-3550/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 3550: Signing is Language Act](https://openamerica.io/bill/115-HR-3550/)
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