A bill to enhance after-school programs in rural areas of the United States by establishing a pilot program to help communities establish and improve rural after-school programs.

Summary: Investment in After-School Programs Act of 2008 - Amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to award grants to local educational agencies, community-based organizations, or other entities to improve, expand, or establish rural after-school programs that provide students with a broad array of activities when school is not in session that improve their academic performance and promote their positive development.

Requires eligible programs to be implemented in active collaboration with the schools the students attend and take place in safe and easily accessible facilities.

Gives grant priority to partnerships between two or more entities eligible for such grants.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Investment in After-School Programs 
Act of 2008''.

SEC. 2. AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAMS.

    Subtitle D of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act is 
amended by inserting after section 365 (7 U.S.C. 2008) the following:

``SEC. 366. AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAMS.

    ``(a) Purpose.--The purpose of this section is to enhance after-
school programs in rural areas by helping communities--
            ``(1) to establish after-school programs; and
            ``(2) to improve existing programs by overcoming barriers 
        to service.
    ``(b) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) After-school program.--The term `after-school 
        program' means a program that carries out a broad array of 
        activities during periods when school is not in session (such 
        as before school, after school, or during summer recess and 
        other vacation periods) that advance student academic 
        achievement and promote positive youth development.
            ``(2) Eligible entity.--The term `eligible entity' means a 
        local educational agency (as such term is defined in section 
        9101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 
        U.S.C. 7801)), community-based organization, another public or 
        private entity, or a consortium of 2 or more such agencies, 
        organizations, or entities.
            ``(3) Rural area.--The term `rural area' means an area that 
        is served by an elementary or secondary school that is 
        designated with a school locale code of Distant Town, Remote 
        Town, Fringe Rural, Distant Rural, or Remote Rural, as 
        determined by the Secretary of Education.
    ``(c) Grants.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall make grants to 
        eligible entities to improve, expand, or establish after-school 
        programs in rural areas.
            ``(2) Requirement.--Each grant under this section shall be 
        in an amount of not less than $50,000.
    ``(d) Duration.--
            ``(1) Term of grant.--The term of a grant under this 
        section may not be for less than 3 years.
            ``(2) Renewal.--The Secretary may renew a grant under this 
        section for a period of not less than 3 years, based on the 
        performance of the eligible entity during the previous grant 
        term.
    ``(e) Uses.--As a condition of the receipt of a grant under this 
section, an eligible entity shall use the grant to fund projects and 
activities described in subsection (c), including transportation, 
professional development, training, recruitment and retention of staff, 
increasing access to technology, and planning.
    ``(f) Evaluation.--The Secretary may use not more than 1 percent of 
the funds under this section--
            ``(1) to conduct evaluations of the effectiveness of 
        programs and activities assisted under subsection (c); and
            ``(2) to disseminate the results of those evaluations for 
        the purpose of refining, improving, and strengthening programs.
    ``(g) Outreach, Training, and Technical Assistance.--The Secretary 
may use not more than 3 percent of the funds made available to carry 
out this section--
            ``(1) to conduct outreach, including bidders' conferences, 
        to ensure widespread knowledge of the availability of resources 
        described in subsection (c);
            ``(2) to disseminate information on best practices and 
        successful program models for serving children and youth in 
        rural areas; and
            ``(3) to provide capacity building, training, and technical 
        assistance to afterschool programs and providers in rural 
        areas.
    ``(h) Application.--
            ``(1) In general.--To be considered for a grant under this 
        section, each eligible entity shall submit to the Secretary an 
        application at such time, in such manner, and accompanied by 
        such information as the Secretary may require.
            ``(2) Contents.--An application submitted pursuant to 
        paragraph (1) shall include--
                    ``(A) a description of the after-school program to 
                be funded, including--
                            ``(i) an assurance that the program will 
                        take place in a safe and easily accessible 
                        facility;
                            ``(ii) a description of how children and 
                        youth participating in the program will travel 
                        safely between the program site and home;
                            ``(iii) a description of how the eligible 
                        entity will disseminate information about the 
                        program, including the location of the program, 
                        to the community in a manner that is 
                        understandable and accessible; and
                            ``(iv) a description of the services to be 
                        provided to children and youth, the roles and 
                        responsibilities of the partners in providing 
                        the services, and how the services enhance an 
                        existing after-school program;
                    ``(B) an assurance that the proposed program was 
                developed, and will be carried out, in active 
                collaboration with the schools the students attend;
                    ``(C) an assurance that funds provided under this 
                section will be used to increase the level of State, 
                local, and other non-Federal funds that would, in the 
                absence of funds under this section, be made available 
                for programs and activities authorized under this 
                section, and in no case supplant Federal, State, local, 
                or non-Federal funds;
                    ``(D) a description of the partnership between a 
                local educational agency, a community-based 
                organization, or another public entity or private 
                entity, if applicable; and
                    ``(E) such additional assurances as the Secretary 
                determines to be necessary to ensure compliance with 
                this section.
    ``(i) Priority.--The Secretary shall give priority to applications 
that propose partnerships between 2 or more eligible entities.
    ``(j) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section--
            ``(1) $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2009;
            ``(2) $75,000,000 for fiscal year 2010;
            ``(3) $100,000,000 for fiscal year 2011;
            ``(4) $125,000,000 for fiscal year 2012; and
            ``(5) $150,000,000 for fiscal year 2013.''.