H.R. 9877

Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026

Sponsor: Raul Ruiz

26 cosponsors
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I Data collection and reporting

II Culturally and linguistically appropriate health and health care

Sec. 2011. English instruction for individuals with limited english proficiency

(a) Grants authorized. The Secretary of Education is authorized to provide grants to eligible entities for the provision of English as a second language (in this section referred to as ESL) instruction to individuals with limited English proficiency, including health care-related English instruction, and shall determine, after consultation with appropriate stakeholders, the mechanism for administering and distributing such grants.

(b) Eligible entity. In this section, the term eligible entity means—

(1) a State; or

(2) a community-based organization that predominantly employs and serves racial and ethnic minority groups (as defined in section 1707(g) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300u–6(g))).

(c) Application. An eligible entity that desires to receive a grant under this section shall apply by submitting to the Secretary of Education an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require.

(d) Use of grant. An eligible entity shall use grant funds provided under this section to—

(1) develop and implement a plan for assuring the availability of ESL instruction, free of charge, to the community served by the eligible entity, that effectively integrates information about the nature of the United States health care system, how to access care, and any special language skills that may be required for individuals with limited English proficiency to access and regularly negotiate the health care system effectively;

(2) develop a plan for making ESL instruction available free to charge to individuals with limited English proficiency in the community served by the eligible entity who are seeking instruction, including, where appropriate, through the use of public-private partnerships; and

(3) provide ESL instruction to individuals with limited English proficiency in the community served by the eligible entity.

(e) Supplement, not supplant. An eligible entity awarded a grant under this section shall use funds made available under this section to supplement, and not supplant, other Federal, State, and local funds that would otherwise be expended to carry out activities under this section.

(f) Duties of the secretary. The Secretary of Education shall—

(1) collect and make publicly available annual data on how much Federal, State, and local governments spend annually on ESL instruction;

(2) collect data from eligible entities awarded a grant under this section to identify the unmet needs of individuals with limited English proficiency for appropriate ESL instruction, including—

(A) the preferred written and spoken language of such individuals;

(B) the availability of enrollment in ESL instruction programs in the communities served by each eligible entity awarded a grant under this section, including the extent of waiting lists for ESL instruction, how many programs maintain waiting lists, and, for programs that do not have waiting lists, the reasons why such a list is unnecessary or otherwise not maintained;

(C) the availability of programs to geographically isolated communities;

(D) the impact of course enrollment policies, including open enrollment, on the availability of ESL instruction;

(E) the number of individuals with limited English proficiency and the number of individuals enrolled in ESL instruction programs in the communities served by each eligible entity awarded a grant under this section;

(F) the effectiveness of the ESL instruction provided through grants awarded under this section in meeting the needs of individuals receiving such instruction; and

(G) an assessment of the need for programs that integrate job training and ESL instruction, to assist individuals with limited English proficiency in obtaining better jobs;

(3) determine the cost and most appropriate methods of making ESL instruction available to all individuals with limited English proficiency in the United States who are seeking instruction; and

(4) not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, issue a report to Congress that—

(A) assesses the information collected in paragraphs (1), (2), and (3) and makes recommendations on steps that should be taken to realize the goal of making ESL instruction available to all individuals with limited English proficiency in the United States who are seeking instruction; and

(B) evaluates the impact of the grant program authorized under this section on the accessibility of, and ability to effectively negotiate, the health care system for individuals with limited English proficiency who have received ESL instruction funded by a grant under this section.

(g) Authorization of appropriations. There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of Education $250,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2031 to carry out this section.

III Health workforce diversity

A Diversifying the health care workplace

B Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Behavioral and Mental Health Workforce

C ACCESS in Mental Health Act

D Developing the Community Health Workforce Act

IV Improving Health Care Access and Quality

A Reducing Barriers to Accessing Care

B Improvement of Coverage

C Expansion of Access

1 General Provisions

2 Rural

3 Indian Communities

4 Providers

5 Dental

D Advancing Health Equity Through Payment and Delivery Reform

E Health Empowerment Zones

F Equitable Health Care for All

G Investing in Equity

H Miscellaneous

I Territories Health Equity

1 Medicare

A Part A

B Part B

C Medicare Advantage (Part C)

D Part D

2 Miscellaneous

V Improving health outcomes for women, gender-diverse people, children, and families

A Underserved communities

B Pregnancy screening

C Pregnancy-Related care

D Federal agency coordination on maternal health

E Reproductive and Sexual Health

F Children’s Health

G Elder Care

H Miscellaneous provisions

VI Mental health and substance use disorders

A Access to care and funding streams

B Interprofessional care

C Workforce development

D Children’s mental health

E Community-Based care

F Reports

G Miscellaneous provisions

VII Addressing high-impact minority diseases

A Cancer

B Viral hepatitis and liver cancer control and prevention

C Acquired bone marrow failure diseases

D Cardiovascular disease, chronic disease, obesity, and other disease issues

E HIV/AIDS

F Diabetes

G Lung disease

H Tuberculosis

I Osteoarthritis and Musculoskeletal Diseases

J Sleep and circadian rhythm disorders

K Kidney disease research, surveillance, prevention, and treatment

L Diversity in clinical trials

M Additional provisions addressing high-impact minority diseases

N Health Equity and Rare Disease Act

O Asunción Valdivia Heat Illness, Injury, and Fatality Prevention

P New Era of Preventing End-Stage Kidney Disease

VIII Health Information Technology

A Reducing Health Disparities Through Health IT

B Modifications To Achieve Parity in Existing Programs

C Additional Research and Studies

D Closing Gaps in Funding To Adopt Certified EHRs

E Expanding Access to Telehealth Services

IX Accountability and Evaluation

X Addressing Social Determinants and Improving Environmental Justice

A In General

B Gun Violence

C Nutrition for women, children, families

1 Senior hunger prevention

2 Closing the meal gap

D Universal school meals

1 School breakfast program

2 School lunch program

3 Elementary and secondary education data

4 Amendments to other programs and laws

XI Protections to combat regulatory harm to health equity