The bill introduced to the Rhode Island General Assembly seeks to address the shortage of bilingual, dual language, and world language teachers in the state, particularly in urban core and urban ring public schools. It proposes the creation of a new chapter, the "Bilingual, Dual Language and World Language Teachers Investment Act," in Title 16 of the General Laws, which includes definitions for relevant terms and outlines a strategy for expanding teaching certifications in these areas. The bill also establishes a scholarship program for students and eligible teachers, with the goal of increasing the number of qualified teachers. The program is set to begin on September 1, 2024, and includes provisions for the implementation of the strategy and scholarship programs.

The bill details the establishment of two scholarship programs, with an annual appropriation of $2,000,000 for students and $1,000,000 for eligible teachers, starting in fiscal year 2025. Scholarships will cover the annual cost of mandatory fees and tuition, less any other financial aid, for up to two years. Eligibility criteria for students include pursuing teacher certification, committing to work in a qualifying school, qualifying for in-state tuition, maintaining a GPA of 2.5 or greater, and agreeing to repay the funds if they fail to meet the requirements. Eligible teachers must be certified and teaching full-time in a qualifying school. Preference will be given to multilingual adults and students, as well as first-generation multilingual eligible teachers. The bill also grants the office of postsecondary commissioner the authority to promulgate rules and regulations and requires public institutions to establish appeal procedures for the scholarship awards. The act will take effect on September 1, 2024.