Notice2024-04935
Notice for Public Comment on Administration for Native Americans' Survey To Measure Native American Language Vitality
Primary source
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Published
March 8, 2024
Issuing agencies
Health and Human Services DepartmentChildren and Families Administration
Abstract
As part of the Durbin Feeling Native American Languages Act of 2022 (Durbin Feeling Act), the Administration for Native Americans (ANA) is tasked with developing a nationwide survey on Native languages, with the intent that the survey will be sent out and collected every 5 years. The survey will gather information from Tribal Governments and/or Native language community organization representatives to report about the language use, language learning, and unmet needs in the community. The law requires that the survey makers consult with Native American Tribes, traditional leaders, and representatives of Native American language communities, including Native Hawaiian and Pacific Island communities. The data collection will provide Tribal Nations, Native American language communities, and Congress with critical information about how Federal support can best help to revitalize and maintain Native languages. For more information on the Durbin Feeling Act, please visit: https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ana/ durbin-feeling.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 47 (Friday, March 8, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 47 (Friday, March 8, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16774-16776]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-04935]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Administration for Children and Families
Notice for Public Comment on Administration for Native Americans'
Survey To Measure Native American Language Vitality
AGENCY: Administration for Native Americans, Administration for
Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
ACTION: Request for public comments.
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SUMMARY: As part of the Durbin Feeling Native American Languages Act of
2022 (Durbin Feeling Act), the Administration for Native Americans
(ANA) is tasked with developing a nationwide survey on Native
languages, with the intent that the survey will be sent out and
collected every 5 years. The survey will gather information from Tribal
Governments and/or Native language community organization
representatives to report about the language use, language learning,
and unmet needs in the community. The law requires that the survey
makers consult with Native American Tribes, traditional leaders, and
representatives of Native American language communities, including
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Island communities. The data collection
will provide Tribal Nations, Native American language communities, and
Congress with critical information about how Federal support can best
help to revitalize and maintain Native languages. For more information
on the Durbin Feeling Act, please visit: <a href="https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ana/durbin-feeling">https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ana/durbin-feeling</a>.
DATES: Comments are due by April 8, 2024 to ensure consideration during
the survey revision process.
ADDRESSES: Comments may be submitted to Amy Zukowski, Director of
Program Evaluation and Planning, Administration for Native Americans,
[[Page 16775]]
330 C Street SW, Washington, DC 20201 or via email to
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#6627282725090b0b0f15150f0908031426070500480e0e1548010910"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="1d5c535c5e727070746e6e747273786f5d7c7e7b3375756e337a726b">[email protected]</span></a>. Please use ``Native Language Survey
Comments'' in the subject line.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Amy Zukowski, Director, Program
Evaluation and Planning, Administration for Native Americans, 330 C
Street, SW, Washington, DC 20201; Telephone: (877) 922-9262; Email:
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#e3a2ada2a08c8e8e8a90908a8c8d8691a3828085cd8b8b90cd848c95"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="9cddd2dddff3f1f1f5efeff5f3f2f9eedcfdfffab2f4f4efb2fbf3ea">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
A. Background
On January 5, 2023, the Durbin Feeling Native American Languages
Act became law (Pub. L. 117-337). The purpose of this legislation is to
improve interagency efforts to support Native American language
reclamation efforts; reduce duplication, inefficiencies, and barriers
Native American language communities face in accessing Federal programs
to support efforts to revitalize, maintain, or increase the use of
Native American languages; and outline the status of the vitality of
Native American languages.
The law requires implementation of these actions in consultation
with Indian Tribes, traditional leaders, and representatives of Native
American language communities, including Native Hawaiian and Pacific
Island communities.
This legislation charges ANA to lead the development and
implementation of a nationwide survey on Native American languages
every 5 years. ANA is working with other Federal agencies and
conducting consultations with Tribes, including their speakers and
language experts, in the development of this survey.
Congress outlined six topic areas that must be included in the
survey:
1. Information on which Native languages are currently spoken
2. Estimates on the number of speakers of each Native language
3. Any relevant language usage statistics or information
4. Information on types of Native language projects and practices
5. Information on any unmet resources for Native languages
6. Any other necessary information
The Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA), 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq., provides
that a Federal agency generally cannot conduct or sponsor a collection
of information, and the public is generally not required to respond to
an information collection, unless it is approved by the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) under the PRA and displays a currently
valid OMB Control Number. In addition, notwithstanding any other
provisions of law, no person shall generally be subject to penalty for
failing to comply with a collection of information that does not
display a valid Control Number. See 5 CFR 1320.5(a) and 1320.6.
When ANA administers the survey in the future, ANA intends to make
results available to the public. Collected data can serve as a guide
for future policies to better support Native language reclamation
efforts. The proposed survey will be completed by representatives
within Tribes and communities to report on information at the community
level. Participation in the survey will be voluntary, and Tribes and
Native language communities will not be required to share culturally
sensitive information.
B. Summary of Reviews and Consultations to Date
To date, ANA has engaged in multiple listening sessions with
representatives from Hawaii and the Pacific territories, Alaska,
National Indian Education Association's members, National Congress of
American Indians Language Task Force, American Indian Higher Education
Consortium, and the Administration for Children and Families Tribal
Advisory Council. ANA also sought input through formal Tribal
Consultation. ANA also convened a Community Working Group to provide
advice on the survey development.
Key themes are included below.
Data should be useful to and actionable for the communities from
which they were gathered:
<bullet> Findings should be made publicly available.
<bullet> Many respondents expressed hope that the data can
contribute to policy change around language funding, especially around
unmet needs, which were a significant concern across all listening
sessions.
<bullet> Language vitality and program sustainability can fluctuate
with access or limitations to Federal funding; as such, data should be
gathered that assess community-level needs to support better alignment
between community priorities and Federal funding.
Language usage, preservation, and maintenance efforts are highly
specific to each community:
<bullet> Many communities speak or have spoken multiple languages
and/or dialects.
<bullet> Some communities have different definitions or perceptions
of survey topics and may have gathered information that does not align
with the survey questions.
Assessing intergenerational transmission of language and areas
where language is used or spoken is critical:
<bullet> The absolute number of speakers matters, but endangered
languages can go dormant within a single lifespan. Intergenerational
language transmission holds cultural significance and is necessary for
ongoing vitality.
<bullet> Language is a repository for cultural heritage;
understanding where language is used matters.
Survey administration plans should consider accuracy of coverage
and potential burden:
<bullet> Plans should be cognizant and respectful of existing
administrative burdens for respondents.
<bullet> Data gathered may include estimates, and there may be
overlap across organizations that may support multiple communities.
<bullet> Some communities may want to respond but be unable to do
so for a variety of factors (for example, time allotted for response,
capacity to gather data).
C. Guiding Questions for Comment
ANA requests comments on the draft survey found at <a href="https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ana/durbin-feeling">https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ana/durbin-feeling</a> and suggests the following guiding
questions for consideration. For the list of draft questions and more
information on the Durbin Feeling Native American Languages Act, please
visit this site: <a href="https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ana/durbin-feeling">https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ana/durbin-feeling</a>.
1. Do the proposed survey questions address the six survey topics
in a culturally relevant way? What other questions would better address
the six topic areas?
2. Should we exclude any of the proposed questions from a survey
that will be shared publicly? If so, please explain which and why.
3. Do the proposed terms and definitions align with your
community's use of these terms and definitions?
4. What is an appropriate length of time to request for completing
the survey? Consider how long it might take to (1) review instructions,
(2) gather the data needed, and (3) answer the proposed questions.
5. How would you want to respond to a survey for your community?
For example, would you want a web-based survey, a telephone interview,
an in-person interview, a hard-copy paper survey, or a mix of these
methods?
ANA and its partners will continue to deliberate, assess evidence,
and take into consideration comments received
[[Page 16776]]
from the public before making final recommendations for the survey.
Patrice H. Kunesh,
Commissioner, Administration for Native Americans.
[FR Doc. 2024-04935 Filed 3-7-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4184-34-P
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