PUBLIC LAW 102-73—JULY 25, 1991 105 STAT. 333 Public Law 102-73 102d Congress An Act To enhance the literacy suid basic skills of adults, to ensure that all adults in the United States acquire the basic skills necessary to function effectively and achieve the greatest possible opportunity in their work and in their lives, and to strengthen and coordinate adult literacy programs. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the "National Literacy Act of 1991". SEC. 2. FINDINGS. The Congress finds that— (1) nearly 80,000,000 adults in the United States have serious problems with literacy; (2) literacy problems are intergenerational and closely associated with poverty and pose a major threat to the economic wellbeing of the United States; (3) present public and private literacy programs reach only a small portion of the population in need and often result in only minimal learning gains; (4) the prevention of illiteracy is essential to stem further growth in national illiteracy rates; (5) literacy programs generally lack adequate funding, adequate coordination with other literacy programs, and an adequate investment in teacher training and technology; (6) access to better information about the best practices in the literacy field and more research in order to provide better diagnostic and instructional tools are essential for the improvement of literacy and employability in the United States; (7) as many as 50,000,000 workers may have to be trained or retrained before the year 2000; (8) the supply of unskilled workers is increasing while the demand for unskilled labor is decreasing; (9) programs under the Adult Education Act, which are the largest Federal source of direct literacy services in the United States, serve only 10 percent of eligible participants; and (10) all public and private literacy programs serve only about 19 percent of those who need help. SEC. 3. DEFINITION. For purposes of this Act the term "literacy" means an individual's ability to read, write, and speak in English, and compute and solve problems at levels of proficiency necessary to function on the job and in society, to achieve one's goals, and develop one's knowledge and potential. July 25, 1991 [H.R. 751] National Literacy Act of 1991. Education. 20 USC 1201 note. 20 USC 1201 note. 20 USC 1201 note.
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