National Environmental Education Amendments Act of 1998

Summary: National Environmental Education Amendments Act of 1998 - Amends the National Environmental Education Act to require that curricula, materials, and training programs developed with support from the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Office of Environmental Education be balanced and scientifically sound. 
(Sec. 2) Requires that implementation of the Act be through EPA. Eliminates requirements for a Director of the Office and a minimum number of staff.  Allows activities to be carried out through grants, cooperative agreements, or contracts. 
(Sec. 3) Reduces from 25 percent to 15 percent the percentage of funds to be obligated for environmental education grants of not more than $5,000.  Prohibits the use of grants for certain lobbying activities. 
Requires the EPA Science Advisory Board to review and approve any guidance by the EPA Administrator before it is issued to applicants for such grants. 
(Sec. 4) Repeals the authority for environmental internships and fellowships. 
(Sec. 5) Eliminates all environmental education awards provided for under such Act, except the President's Environmental Youth Awards. 
(Sec. 6) Revises requirements for membership on the National Environmental Education Advisory Council.  Requires that membership on the Federal Task Force on Environmental Education be open to representatives of any Federal agency actively engaged in environmental education.  (Under current law, membership must include specified agency representatives.)  Repeals specific requirements for contents of Advisory Council reports. 
(Sec. 7) Changes the name of the National Environmental Education and Training Foundation to the National Environmental Learning Foundation.  Increases the size of the Foundation's Board of the Directors.  Repeals the prohibition on the transmission of logos or other means of identification on materials donated to the Foundation for environmental education and training use.  Allows acknowledgement of donors, but prohibits such acknowledgement from:  (1) appearing in educational material to be presented to students; and (2) identifying a donor by means of a logo, letterhead, or other corporate commercial symbol, slogan, or product. 
(Sec. 8) Extends through FY 2004 the authorization of appropriations to the EPA for such Act.  Revises funding limitations. Limits to 25 percent the amount available for administrative costs. 
Directs the EPA Administrator to report on expenses annually to the Congress.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``National Environmental Education 
Amendments Act of 1998''.

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 support 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).
    ``(k) Guidance Review.--Before the Administrator issues any 
guidance to grant applicants, the guidance shall be reviewed and 
approved by the Science Advisory Board of the Agency.''.

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 items relating 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 LEARNING 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 ``National Environmental Learning Foundation''.
            (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 and 
Training Foundation'' and inserting ``National Environmental Learning 
Foundation'';
                    (B) in section 3 (20 U.S.C. 5502)--
                            (i) by striking paragraph (12) and 
                        inserting the following:
            ``(12) Foundation.--`Foundation' means the National 
        Environmental Learning Foundation'' established by section 9; 
        and''; and
                            (ii) in paragraph (13), by striking 
                        ``National Environmental Education and Training 
                        Foundation'' and inserting ``National 
                        Environmental Learning Foundation'';
                    (C) in the heading of section 9 (as redesignated by 
                section 4(a)(2)), by striking ``national environmental 
                education and training foundation'' and inserting 
                ``national environmental learning foundation''; 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 ``National Environmental 
                Learning Foundation''.
    (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) Acknowledgment of Donations.--Section 9(d) of the National 
Environmental Education Act (as redesignated by section 4(a)(2)) is 
amended by striking paragraph (3) and inserting the following:
            ``(3) Acknowledgment of donors.--The Foundation may 
        acknowledge receipt of donations by means of a listing of the 
        names of donors in materials distributed by the Foundation, but 
        any such acknowledgment--
                    ``(A) shall not appear in educational material to 
                be presented to students; and
                    ``(B) shall not identify a donor by means of a 
                logo, letterhead, or other corporate commercial symbol, 
                slogan, or product.''.

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 $10,000,000 for 
each of fiscal years 1999 through 2004.
    ``(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 National 
                Environmental Learning Foundation.
            ``(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.
    ``(c) Expense Report.--As soon as practicable after the end of each 
fiscal year, the Administrator shall submit to Congress a report 
stating in detail the items on which funds appropriated for the fiscal 
year were expended.''.

SEC. 9. EFFECTIVE DATE.

    The amendments made by this Act shall take effect as of the later 
of--
            (1) October 1, 1998; or
            (2) the date of enactment of this Act.