The Senate Indian Affairs Committee will hold a listening session in Montana this Thursday.

The session will focus on Native language revitalization. Sen. Jon Tester (D-Montana), the chairman of the committee, is sponsoring S.1948, the Native Language Immersion Student Achievement Act, to award grants for Native language programs.

"We are racing against the clock to save and revitalize our sacred Native American languages," Tester said. "Preserving Native languages will strengthen Indian culture and increase student confidence -- leading to greater academic achievement and a stronger economy."

The listening session will take place from 5pm to 7pm at the Payne Family Native American Center on the University of Montana campus in Missoula.