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H.R. 4538 99th Congress House

Bilingual Education Act Amendments of 1986

Official title: A bill to amend the Bilingual Education Act to make Federal financial assistance available for children of limited English proficiency without mandating a spec… Show full official titleShow less

Official title: A bill to amend the Bilingual Education Act to make Federal financial assistance available for children of limited English proficiency without mandating a specific method of instruction, to encourage innovation at the State and local level through greater administrative flexibility, to improve program operations at the Federal level, and for other purposes.

Introduced: April 9, 1986 See on congress.gov
Education Bilingual educationBilingualismEducational policyEnglish languageMinorities
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This bill died when the 99th Congress ended
It never became law before the 99th Congress (1985–1986) 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 3 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Apr 28, 1986
Referred to Subcommittee on Elementary, Secondary and Vocational Education.
Apr 9, 1986
Referred to House Committee on Education and Labor.
Apr 9, 1986
Introduced in House
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 Latest action April 28, 1986

Referred to Subcommittee on Elementary, Secondary and Vocational Education.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Bilingual Education Act Amendments of 1986 - Amends the Bilingual Education Act (the Act) to add to the statement of policy the declaration that, regardless of the method of instruction, programs which serve children of limited English proficiency have the equally important goals of developing both academic achievement and English proficiency.

Removes a requirement that the Secretary of Education (the Secretary) reserve limited portions of funds under the Act for special alternative instructional programs and related activities.

Removes a requirement that the Secretary reserve at least 75 percent of funds under part A (Financial Assistance for Bilingual Education Programs) of the Act for transitional bilingual education programs.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
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APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 4538: Bilingual Education Act Amendments of 1986. 99th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/99-HR-4538/
MLA
"H.R. 4538: Bilingual Education Act Amendments of 1986." 99th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/99-HR-4538/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 4538, 99th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/99-HR-4538/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 4538: Bilingual Education Act Amendments of 1986](https://openamerica.io/bill/99-HR-4538/)
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