National Environmental Education Amendments Act of 1996

Summary: National Environmental Education Amendments Act of 1996 - Amends the National Environmental Education Act to require development of curricula, materials, and training programs supported by the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Office of Environmental Education to be balanced and scientifically sound.  Requires that implementation of the Act be through EPA.  Eliminates requirements for a Director and a minimum number of staff.  Allows activities to be carried out through grants, cooperative agreements, or contracts. 
Reduces the percentage of funds to be obligated for environmental education grants of not more than $5,000.  Prohibits use of grants for certain lobbying activities. 
Eliminates provisions for environmental internships and fellowships. 
Eliminates all environmental education awards provided for under such Act, except the President's Environmental Youth Awards. 
Revises requirements for membership on the National Environmental Education Advisory Council.  Revises requirements for membership on the Federal Task Force on Environmental Education to require that it be open to representatives of any Federal agency actively engaged in environmental education.  (Under current law, membership must include specified agency representatives.)  Eliminates specific requirements for contents of Advisory Council reports. 
Changes the name of the National Environmental Education and Training Foundation to the Foundation for Environmental Education. Increases the size of the Board of the Directors.  Removes the prohibition on the transmission of logos or other means of identification on materials donated to the Foundation for environmental education and training use. 
Authorizes appropriations.  Revises funding limitations.  Limits amounts available for administrative costs.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``National Environmental Education 
Amendments Act of 1996''.

SEC. 2. OFFICE OF ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION.

    Section 4 of the National Environmental Education Act (20 U.S.C. 
5503) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (b)--
                    (A) in paragraph (1) by inserting after ``support'' 
                the following: ``balanced and scientifically sound'';
                    (B) by striking paragraph (6);
                    (C) by redesignating paragraphs (7) through (13) as 
                paragraphs (6) through (12), respectively; and
                    (D) in paragraph (12) (as so redesignated), by 
                inserting before the period the following: ``through 
                the headquarters and the regional offices of the 
                Agency''; and
            (2) by striking subsection (c) and inserting the following:
    ``(c) Staff.--The Office of Environmental Education shall--
            ``(1) include a headquarters staff of not more than 10 
        full-time equivalent employees; and
            ``(2) be supported by 1 full-time equivalent employee in 
        each Agency regional office.
    ``(d) Activities.--The Administrator may carry out the activities 
specified in subsection (b) directly or through awards of grants, 
cooperative agreements, or contracts.''.

SEC. 3. ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION GRANTS.

    Section 6 of the National Environmental Education Act (20 U.S.C. 
5505) is amended--
            (1) in the second sentence of subsection (i), by striking 
        ``25 percent'' and inserting ``15 percent''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(j) Lobbying Activities.--A grant under this section may not be 
used to fund a lobbying activity (as described in the documents issued 
by the Office of Management and Budget and designated as OMB Circulars 
No. A-21 and No. A-122).''.

SEC. 4. ENVIRONMENTAL INTERNSHIPS AND FELLOWSHIPS.

    (a) In General.--The National Environmental Education Act is 
amended--
            (1) by striking section 7 (20 U.S.C. 5506); and
            (2) by redesignating sections 8 through 11 (20 U.S.C. 5507 
        through 5510) as sections 7 through 10, respectively.
    (b) Conforming Amendments.--The National Environmental Education 
Act is amended--
            (1) in the table of contents in section 1(b) (20 U.S.C. 
        prec. 5501)--
                    (A) by striking the item relating to section 7; and
                    (B) by redesignating the to sections 8 through 11 
                as items relating to sections 7 through 10, 
                respectively;
            (2) in section 4(b) (20 U.S.C. 5503(b))--
                    (A) in paragraph (6) (as redesignated by section 
                2(1)(C)), by striking ``section 8 of this Act'' and 
                inserting ``section 7''; and
                    (B) in paragraph (7) (as so redesignated), by 
                striking ``section 9 of this Act'' and inserting 
                ``section 8'';
            (3) in section 6(c)(3) (20 U.S.C. 5505(c)(3)), by striking 
        ``section 9(d) of this Act'' and inserting ``section 8(d)'';
            (4) in the matter preceding subsection (c)(3)(A) of section 
        9 (as redesignated by subsection (a)(2)), by striking ``section 
        10(a) of this Act'' and inserting ``subsection (a)''; and
            (5) in subsection (c)(2) of section 10 (as redesignated by 
        subsection (a)(2)), by striking ``section 10(d) of this Act'' 
        and inserting ``section 9(d)''.

SEC. 5. NATIONAL EDUCATION AWARDS.

    Section 7 of the National Environmental Education Act (as 
redesignated by section 4(a)(2)) is amended to read as follows:

``SEC. 7. NATIONAL EDUCATION AWARDS.

    ``The Administrator may provide for awards to be known as the 
`President's Environmental Youth Awards' to be given to young people in 
grades kindergarten through 12 for outstanding projects to promote 
local environmental awareness.''.

SEC. 6. ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION ADVISORY COUNCIL AND TASK FORCE.

    Section 8 of the National Environmental Education Act (as 
redesignated by section 4(a)(2)) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (b)(2), by striking the first and second 
        sentences and inserting the following: ``The Advisory Council 
        shall consist of not more than 11 members appointed by the 
        Administrator after consultation with the Secretary. To the 
        extent practicable, the Administrator shall appoint to the 
        Advisory Council at least 1 representative from each of the 
        following sectors: primary and secondary education; colleges 
        and universities; not-for-profit organizations involved in 
        environmental education; State departments of education and 
        natural resources; business and industry; and senior 
        Americans.'';
            (2) in subsection (c), by striking paragraph (2) and 
        inserting the following:
            ``(2) Membership.--Membership on the Task Force shall be 
        open to representatives of any Federal agency actively engaged 
        in environmental education.''; and
            (3) in subsection (d), by striking paragraph (1) and 
        inserting the following:
            ``(1) Biennial meetings.--The Advisory Council shall hold a 
        biennial meeting on timely issues regarding environmental 
        education and issue a report and recommendations on the 
        proceedings of the meeting.''.

SEC. 7. NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING FOUNDATION.

    (a) Change in Name.--
            (1) In general.--The first sentence of subsection (a)(1)(A) 
        of section 9 of the National Environmental Education Act (as 
        redesignated by section 4(a)(2)) is amended by striking 
        ``National Environmental Education and Training Foundation'' 
        and inserting ``Foundation for Environmental Education''.
            (2) Conforming amendments.--The National Environmental 
        Education Act (20 U.S.C. 5501 et seq.) is amended--
                    (A) in the item relating to section 9 (as 
                redesignated by section 4(b)(1)(B)) of the table of 
                contents in section 1(b) (20 U.S.C. prec. 5501), by 
                striking ``National Environmental Education Training 
Foundation'' and inserting ``Foundation for Environmental Education'';
                    (B) in section 3 (20 U.S.C. 5502)--
                            (i) by striking paragraph (12) and 
                        inserting the following:
            ``(12) Foundation.--`Foundation' means the Foundation for 
        Environmental Education established by section 9; and''; and
                            (ii) in paragraph (13), by striking 
                        ``National Environmental Education and Training 
                        Foundation'' and inserting ``Foundation for 
                        Environmental Education'';
                    (C) in the heading of section 9 (as redesignated by 
                section 4(a)(2)), by striking ``national environmental 
                education and training foundation'' and inserting 
                ``foundation for environmental education''; and
                    (D) in subsection (c) of section 10 (as 
                redesignated by section 4(a)(2)), by striking 
                ``National Environmental Education and Training 
                Foundation'' and inserting ``Foundation for 
                Environmental Education''.
    (b) Board of Directors; Number of Directors.--The first sentence of 
subsection (b)(1)(A) of section 9 of the National Environmental 
Education Act (as redesignated by section 4(a)(2)) is amended by 
striking ``13'' and inserting ``19''.
    (c) Conditions of Donations.--Section 9 of the National 
Environmental Education Act (as redesignated by section 4(a)(2)) is 
amended in subsection (d) by striking paragraph (3).

SEC. 8. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    Section 10 of the National Environmental Education Act (as 
redesignated by section 4(a)(2)) is amended by striking subsections (a) 
and (b) and inserting the following:
    ``(a) In General.--There are authorized to be appropriated to the 
Environmental Protection Agency to carry out this Act--
            ``(1) $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 1997, 1998, 
        1999, 2000, 2001, and 2002; and
            ``(2) such sums as are necessary for each of fiscal years 
        2003 through 2007.
    ``(b) Limitations.--
            ``(1) In general.--Subject to paragraph (2), of the amounts 
        appropriated under subsection (a) for a fiscal year--
                    ``(A) not more than 25 percent may be used for the 
                activities of the Office of Environmental Education;
                    ``(B) not more than 25 percent may be used for the 
                operation of the environmental education and training 
                program;
                    ``(C) not less than 40 percent shall be used for 
                environmental education grants; and
                    ``(D) 10 percent shall be used for the Foundation 
                for Environmental Education.
            ``(2) Administrative expenses.--Of the amounts made 
        available under paragraph (1) for a fiscal year for the 
        activities of the Office of Environmental Education, not more 
        than 25 percent may be used for administrative expenses.''.

SEC. 9. EFFECTIVE DATE.

    The amendments made by this Act shall take effect as of the later 
of--
            (1) October 1, 1996; or
            (2) the date of enactment of this Act.