Aloha! Mahalo, or thank you, for that gracious introduction. I am honored to be here today to address you at your annual legislative conference to promote foreign language education.

We share a common mission: to promote a better understanding of diverse languages and cultures. Like many of you, I am an educator. I have been both a principal and a teacher. I have always been motivated by a desire to teach our young people to have a better understanding of the wider world around them. I care about future generations of Americans and what we can do to make the world more secure and peaceful. I strongly believe that one way to achieve this goal is to increase our understanding of other cultures, including languages.

Communication is the key ingredient for any successful relationship, and having an understanding of another's language and culture can only improve our relationship with other nations and individuals.

I began working on legislation to promote a better understanding of foreign languages and cultures in 2000 after becoming concerned that America had become too inward-looking. I was then Ranking Member on the Senate Governmental Affairs Federal Workforce Subcommittee, which held hearings on the state of foreign language capability in the federal government. Testimony confirmed that the federal government was facing serious deficiencies in language proficiency. Action was needed to address this problem and, in 2001, I introduced legislation to improve the recruitment and training of individuals with language skills as well as increase the number of individuals studying languages. But it has not been easy to gain wider acceptance of the need to improve foreign language education. Tragically, it took the events of 9-11 to teach us that we need to have a deeper understanding of the world around us.

However, nearly four years after that terrible day, we must stay the course and not revert to our "business as usual" mentality. We must continue our efforts to promote language education and coordinate efforts with federal, state, and local governments, the private sector, academia, and associations. Only through a coordinated plan of action and long-term leadership will we accomplish our mission.

That is why I am pleased to announce that today I am introducing the National Foreign Language Coordination Act to provide the required leadership and coordination to advance the learning of foreign languages and cultures.

The National Foreign Language Coordination Act will create a National Language Director and a National Foreign Language Coordination Council to develop and implement a foreign language strategy.

According to the consensus white paper of the National Language Conference hosted by the Department of Defense last June, success in improving language education will depend on strong leadership to:

• Implement policies and programs that build the nation's language and cultural understanding capability;
• Engage Federal, state, and local agencies and the private sector in solutions;
• Develop language and cultural competency across public and private sectors;
• Develop language skills in a wide range of critical languages;
• Strengthen our education system, programs, and tools in foreign languages and cultures; and
• Integrate language training into career fields and increasing the number of language professionals.

I believe that leadership must be comprehensive, as no one sector -- government, industry, or academia -- has all of the needs for language and cultural competency, or all of the solutions.

The proposed National Foreign Language Coordination Council, chaired by the National Language Director, would be charged with identifying crucial priorities, increasing public awareness of the need for foreign language skills, advocating maximum use of resources, coordinating cross-sector efforts, and monitoring the foreign language activities of the federal government.

While I am hopeful that our bill will move quickly, I am pleased of the efforts in language education and awareness that Congress has made to date.

For example, I successfully added an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act of 2005 requiring the Department of Defense to develop a foreign language strategy to address its short- and long-term needs. Earlier this year, DOD issued the Defense Transformation Roadmap which calls for the development of an officer corps that understands and values the strategic asset inherent in regional expertise and language; incorporation of language and foreign area education into the officer Professional Military Education; language and cultural expertise surge capacity; proficiency standards; and strategic management of language professionals.

I was also successful in providing a scholarship-for-service program for employees in the Intelligence Community last year in the Intelligence Reform Act for the study of critical skills, with an emphasis on science, math, and foreign language education. This program will encourage more people to enter national security positions by easing the financial burdens often associated with graduate study and with government service. Similar language was included in my bill, the Homeland Security Federal Workforce Act, S. 589, which passed the Senate last year.

To improve language education for all Americans, Senator Durbin and I introduced the Homeland Security Education Act in both the 107th and 108th Sessions of Congress. The bill would provide targeted financial incentives to study science, mathematics, and foreign languages.

It would also provide professional development for our elementary and secondary school language teachers, and support educational programs at universities that combine the teaching of science and foreign language. I look forward to reintroducing this important piece of legislation in the near future.

We still need to encourage existing programs which support foreign language education at all educational levels -- through graduate school -- and encourage foreign travel and immersion programs.

We need to support programs such as the National Security Education Program, the Foreign Language Assistance Program, which provides grants to elementary schools, Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowships, and the Flagship Program.

I am proud of my own state of Hawaii, whose language patterns truly reflect the fact that we are a mixing pot of varying cultures. According to the 2000 Census, more than 300,000 people or about 27 percent of those five years and older spoke a language other than English at home. This is compared to about 18 percent nationwide. Language education offerings to improve conversational proficiency with formal training in non-English languages are working to keep pace with increased demand. In addition, enrollments in foreign language courses at the University of Hawaii have been markedly increasing -- a trend that I am gratified to see happening across the country.

I am a passionate believer in beginning these programs at the earliest age possible. Americans need to be open to the world; we need to be able to see the world through the eyes of others if we are going to understand how to resolve the complex problems we face.

The need to hear and understand each other is timeless and essential.

Let me say Mahalo again for all that you have done to support my legislation and other legislation to foster language education.

Mahalo!