The proposed bill, titled "The Support and Access to Bilingual Education Act," aims to enhance bilingual education in Rhode Island by establishing a bilingual education support fund within the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. The fund will receive an annual appropriation of $950,000 starting in FY 2027, with $300,000 allocated for the implementation of traditional public school district dual language programs and $600,000 for strategies and support to expand teaching certifications for bilingual dual language and world language teachers. An amount not to exceed $50,000 will be used as discretionary funds by the department, with any unexpended funds reverting to dual language support grants.

The bill outlines definitions for key terms related to bilingual education, including "bilingual dual language teacher," "bilingual language instruction program model," and "eligible teacher." It establishes eligibility criteria for applicants seeking grants from the fund, which can include traditional public school districts, community-based organizations in collaboration with traditional public school districts, and institutions of higher education partnering with traditional public school districts.

The act mandates that the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education collaborate with the office of the postsecondary commissioner to increase and streamline the issuance of world language and bilingual dual language certifications, particularly in local education agencies with a high incidence of multilingual learners. The bill is set to take effect on July 1, 2026.