H.R. 2549: BEST Act
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H.R. 2549: BEST Act
113th Congress · introduced 2013-06-27 · Education · Latest: Referred to the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education.
federal
Follow this bill, step by step
- Where it came from: introduced 2013-06-27 · official record
- Who proposed it: Rep. Brownley, Julia [D-CA-26] · what a sponsor is
- What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
- Where it stands now: Referred to the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
- If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.
Official title
BEST Act
Plain summary
Biliteracy Education Seal and Teaching Act or the BEST Act - Directs the Secretary of Education to award renewable two-year grants to states to establish or improve a Seal of Biliteracy program to recognize student proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing in both English and a second language. Requires students who wish to participate in such a program to submit an application to their state that includes assurances that they: (1) will receive a secondary school diploma or its equivalent in the year they apply; and (2) have met the state's criteria for demonstrating proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing in both English and a second language. Requires states to provide participating students who demonstrate that proficiency: (1) a permanent seal or other marker on their secondary school diploma or its equivalent, and (2) documentation of that proficiency on their official academic transcript. Allows students who gain proficiency in a second language outside of school to participate in such programs. Prohibits states from charging students an application fee.
Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.
What a vote does
A “Yea” vote
If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.
A “Nay” vote
If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.
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The strongest published arguments
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Alternatives
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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes
Officials and money
Sponsor: Rep. Brownley, Julia [D-CA-26] · 14 cosponsors
Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.
Cosponsors on this site
Juan Vargas (D-CA), Linda T. Sánchez (D-CA), Jared Huffman (D-CA), James P. McGovern (D-MA)
Sponsor's campaign money: Rep. Brownley, Julia [D-CA-26] reported raising $580,025 (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.
No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.
Sources
- Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)
- Congress.gov
- Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-113hr2549.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/113/hr>
Record fed-us-cong113-hr2549 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong113 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong113