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FEATURED NEWS

Language Access Act Helps Make COVID-19 Resources Accessible to LEP Individuals August 14, 2020 | JNCL Newsroom Earlier this year, JNCL-NCLIS documented the impact of language barriers on the patient population during the COVID-19 crisis. Anecdotes and data submitted by our members were a valuable tool as we advocated for language access support. In April, Representative Meng introduced H.R. 6623 the COVID-19 Language Access Act. The bill has now been included in the FY21 House-Passed NDAA. This week, Senate bill S.4526 was introduced as a combination of the language access provisions in Senator Hirono’s Coronavirus Immigrant Families Protection Act and Senator Casey’s COVID-19 Recovery for Seniors and People with Disabilities Act. This legislation addresses the exclusion of the 25 million Americans who are Limited English Proficient (LEP) from the pandemic response effort.  Read more

Amendment to Clean-Up Bill for AB 5 Needed to Protect Professional Translators and Interpreters August 11, 2020 | CAL Matters Sponsored by Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez, a Democrat from San Diego, AB 5 sought to address the problem of worker misclassification by companies such as Uber and Lyft. But it also sweeps up hundreds of other professions into its wide-reaching net, including interpreters and translators who have a decades-old history of being independent contractors.  Now Assembly Bill 2257, a cleanup bill for AB 5, also introduced by Gonzalez, is in the state Senate. The author has made assertions about interpreters being misclassified that don’t stand up to fact-checking. The ultra-narrow exemption in this bill originally covered only “certified translators.” It still falls short, threatening to impose red tape on professional interpreters. Read more

POLICY CLIPS MPI Report Details the Hundreds of Immigration Executive Actions Taken During Trump Presidency | Yuba Net English Language Learners Want Voices Heard in School Reopening Talks | Politico  NYU Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies Launches Indigenous and Diasporic Language COVID-19 PSA Series | NYU New Federal Scrutiny of Confucius Institutes | Inside Higher Ed EDUCATION CLIPS State: Prioritize English Language Learners, Special Ed Students for In-Person Instruction | The Register-Guard Under ICE Rules and Visa Complications, a Semester with No New International Students Awaits | USA Today  Native American Tribe Creates Immersion School to Preserve Culture, Language | News Channel 5 Teachers Union Launches $500K Ad Buy Calling for Education Funding in Relief Bill | The Hill INDUSTRY CLIPS New California Bill Disappoints Translators and Interpreters | Multilingual Rosetta Stone Launches New Program Empowering Emergent Bilinguals in Grades K-6 to Acquire Higher Language Proficiency Levels of English | Global Newswire Advocates: Lack Of Interpreter Services At Unemployment Office Is Illegal | Lake Country Record-Bee Slator Language Industry Job Index Shows Slight Uptick in August 2020 | Slator

COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS

Save the Dates: Virtual 2020 National Humanities Conference Join representatives from colleges, universities, state humanities councils, museums, and libraries for the first-ever virtual National Humanities Conference, taking place Friday, November 6, Tuesday, November 10, Thursday, November 12, and Friday, November 13. Together, we will explore our collective work to deepen the public’s engagement with the humanities.  Highlights include: Opportunities to connect with each other and reflect on our collective work in the wake of an unprecedented year and the 2020 election Small group discussions on timely topics More than 60 sessions exploring public humanities work An opportunity to connect with National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) program officers and hear from NEH Chairman Jon Parrish Peede.  This virtual programming, which will be low cost and require no travel, to welcome new participants and broaden our conversations. All programming will take place in the afternoon and evening Eastern time to accommodate as many U.S. time zones as possible.  Please save the dates! Registration and additional information coming soon.  Read more about the NHA

JNCL-NCLIS Now Accepting Nominations for 2021 J. David Edwards Power of Advocacy Award The J. David Edwards Power of Advocacy Award is an annually sponsored award presented at JNCL-NCLIS' Language Advocacy Day. Each year, JNCL-NCLIS recognizes one language advocate in the field who has exhibited excellence in grassroots advocacy. The Language Advocate of the Year recipient demonstrates leadership and resilience through designing and/or executing inclusive advocacy initiatives at the local, state, and/or federal level. The Language Advocate of the Year recipient also inspires stakeholders and directly engages with decision-makers to further the mission of JNCL-NCLIS: to ensure that all Americans have the opportunity to learn English and at least one other language. All individuals belonging to a JNCL-NCLIS member organization in good financial standing (paid JNCL-NCLIS annual dues by September 1st) are eligible to be nominated for this award. All member organizations in good financial standing are eligible to nominate an individual for this award. All complete nomination packets submitted by September 14th, 2020 will be considered for this award.

READ MORE & SUBMIT NOMINATION

Have an announcement you want to share with the community? EMAIL US: arutkowski@languagepolicy.org

PROFESSIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

CABE Virtual Back to School Workshop Series Event Dates: 07/29/2020 | 07/30/2020 | 07/31/2020 | 08/08/2020 | 08/15/2020 | 08/22/2020 9:00 am - 11:00 am A Vision for Educational Excellence and Equity for English Learners During Distance, Hybrid, and/or Face-to-Face Instruction This workshop series is designed just for you, your school site or your entire district! Gain quality professional development that aims to bring equity to English learners during Distance Learning and/or Hybrid Educational settings.  Participate in workshops conducted by professionals in the educational field that will share their strategies and expertise. You can sign up for one day or all three days while also having the flexibility to select the sessions you want to attend just like you would at an in-person conference. Read more and register

Looking for more or past opportunities? Visit the NewsBrief Archives!

FEDERAL BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES

Linguist Support Services 2 Notice ID: H9240220R0001_Solicitation Agency:DEPT OF DEFENSE Office:HQ USSOCOM Location: Fort Bragg , NC Response Date: September 2nd

JNCL-NCLIS Significant Contributors

JNCL-NCLIS is grateful for the support from our partners.

“Ensuring that Americans have the opportunity to learn English and at least one other language.” Joint National Committee for Languages National Council for Languages and International Studies 202-580-8684 | www.languagepolicy.org | PO BOX 386 Garret Park, MD 20896 ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

FRIDAY, AUGUST 14, 2020 ISSUE

Disclaimer: The articles and news sources included in NewsBrief are not endorsed by, directly affiliated with, maintained, authorized, or sponsored by JNCL-NCLIS. The views and opinions expressed in the articles in this NewsBrief are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any other agency, organization, employer or company.