Bill Sponsor
Senate Bill 458
115th Congress(2017-2018)
NEST Act
Introduced
Introduced
Introduced in Senate on Feb 27, 2017
Overview
Text
Sponsor
Introduced
Feb 27, 2017
Latest Action
May 17, 2017
Origin Chamber
Senate
Type
Bill
Bill
The primary form of legislative measure used to propose law. Depending on the chamber of origin, bills begin with a designation of either H.R. or S. Joint resolution is another form of legislative measure used to propose law.
Bill Number
458
Congress
115
Policy Area
Native Americans
Native Americans
Primary focus of measure is matters affecting Native Americans, including Alaska Natives and Hawaiians, in a variety of domestic policy settings. This includes claims, intergovernmental relations, and Indian lands and resources.
Sponsorship by Party
Democrat
Montana
Democrat
Minnesota
Democrat
New Mexico
Senate Votes (0)
House Votes (0)
No Senate votes have been held for this bill.
Summary

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.

Text (1)
February 27, 2017
Actions (3)
05/17/2017
Committee on Indian Affairs. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
02/27/2017
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs.
02/27/2017
Introduced in Senate
Public Record
Record Updated
Jan 11, 2023 1:34:44 PM