Time for Schools Act of 1997

Summary: Time for Schools Act of 1997 - Amends the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 to allow employees covered by such Act to take up to 24 hours, during any 12-month period, of school involvement leave to participate in:  (1) an activity of their child's school; or (2) literacy training under a family literacy program. 
Amends Federal civil service law to apply the same school involvement leave allowance to Federal employees.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Time for Schools Act of 1997''.

SEC. 2. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS FOR LEAVE.

    (a) Entitlement to Leave.--Section 102(a) of the Family and Medical 
Leave Act of 1993 (29 U.S.C. 2612(a)) is amended by adding at the end 
the following:
            ``(3) Entitlement to school involvement leave.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Subject to section 103(f), an 
                eligible employee shall be entitled to a total of 24 
                hours of leave during any 12-month period to 
                participate in an activity of a school of a son or 
                daughter of the employee, such as a parent-teacher 
                conference or an interview for a school, or to 
                participate in literacy training under a family 
                literacy program.
                    ``(B) Definitions.--In this paragraph:
                            ``(i) Family literacy program.--The term 
                        `family literacy program' means a program of 
                        services that are of sufficient intensity in 
                        terms of hours, and of sufficient duration, to 
                        make sustainable changes in a family and that 
                        integrate all of the following activities:
                                    ``(I) Interactive literacy 
                                activities between parents and their 
                                sons and daughters.
                                    ``(II) Training for parents on how 
                                to be the primary teacher for their 
                                sons and daughters and full partners in 
                                the education of their sons and 
                                daughters.
                                    ``(III) Parent literacy training.
                                    ``(IV) An age-appropriate education 
                                program for sons and daughters.
                            ``(ii) Literacy.--The term `literacy', used 
                        with respect to an individual, means the 
                        ability of the individual to speak, read, and 
                        write English, and compute and solve problems, 
                        at levels of proficiency necessary--
                                    ``(I) to function on the job, in 
                                the family of the individual, and in 
                                society;
                                    ``(II) to achieve the goals of the 
                                individual; and
                                    ``(III) to develop the knowledge 
                                potential of the individual.
                            ``(iii) School.--The term `school' means an 
                        elementary school or secondary school (as such 
                        terms are defined in section 14101 of the 
                        Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 
                        (20 U.S.C. 8801)), a Head Start program 
                        assisted under the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 
                        9831 et seq.), and a child care facility 
                        operated by a provider who meets the applicable 
                        State or local government licensing, 
                        certification, approval, or registration 
                        requirements, if any.
            ``(4) Limitation.--No employee may take more than a total 
        of 12 workweeks of leave under paragraphs (1) and (3) during 
        any 12-month period.''.
    (b) Schedule.--Section 102(b)(1) of such Act (29 U.S.C. 2612(b)(1)) 
is amended by inserting after the second sentence the following: 
``Leave under subsection (a)(3) may be taken intermittently or on a 
reduced leave schedule.''.
    (c) Substitution of Paid Leave.--Section 102(d)(2)(A) of such Act 
(29 U.S.C. 2612(d)(2)(A)) is amended by inserting before the period the 
following: ``, or for leave provided under subsection (a)(3) for any 
part of the 24-hour period of such leave under such subsection''.
    (d) Notice.--Section 102(e) of such Act (29 U.S.C. 2612(e)) is 
amended by adding at the end the following:
            ``(3) Notice for school involvement leave.--In any case in 
        which the necessity for leave under subsection (a)(3) is 
        foreseeable, the employee shall provide the employer with not 
        less than 7 days' notice, before the date the leave is to 
        begin, of the employee's intention to take leave under such 
        subsection. If the necessity for the leave is not foreseeable, 
        the employee shall provide such notice as is practicable.''.
    (e) Certification.--Section 103 of such Act (29 U.S.C. 2613) is 
amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(f) Certification for School Involvement Leave.--An employer may 
require that a request for leave under section 102(a)(3) be supported 
by a certification issued at such time and in such manner as the 
Secretary may by regulation prescribe.''.

SEC. 3. SCHOOL INVOLVEMENT LEAVE FOR CIVIL SERVICE EMPLOYEES.

    (a) Entitlement to Leave.--Section 6382(a) of title 5, United 
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(3)(A) Subject to section 6383(f), an employee shall be entitled 
to a total of 24 hours of leave during any 12-month period to 
participate in an activity of a school of a son or daughter of the 
employee, such as a parent-teacher conference or an interview for a 
school, or to participate in literacy training under a family literacy 
program.
    ``(B) In this paragraph:
            ``(i) The term `family literacy program' means a program of 
        services that are of sufficient intensity in terms of hours, 
        and of sufficient duration, to make sustainable changes in a 
        family and that integrate all of the following activities:
                    ``(I) Interactive literacy activities between 
                parents and their sons and daughters.
                    ``(II) Training for parents on how to be the 
                primary teacher for their sons and daughters and full 
                partners in the education of their sons and daughters.
                    ``(III) Parent literacy training.
                    ``(IV) An age-appropriate education program for 
                sons and daughters.
            ``(ii) The term `literacy', used with respect to an 
        individual, means the ability of the individual to speak, read, 
        and write English, and compute and solve problems, at levels of 
        proficiency necessary--
                    ``(I) to function on the job, in the family of the 
                individual, and in society;
                    ``(II) to achieve the goals of the individual; and
                    ``(III) to develop the knowledge potential of the 
                individual.
            ``(iii) The term `school' means an elementary school or 
        secondary school (as such terms are defined in section 14101 of 
        the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
        8801)), a Head Start program assisted under the Head Start Act 
        (42 U.S.C. 9831 et seq.), and a child care facility operated by 
        a provider who meets the applicable State or local government 
        licensing, certification, approval, or registration 
        requirements, if any.
    ``(4) No employee may take more than a total of 12 workweeks of 
leave under paragraphs (1) and (3) during any 12-month period.''.
    (b) Schedule.--Section 6382(b)(1) of such title is amended by 
inserting after the second sentence the following: ``Leave under 
subsection (a)(3) may be taken intermittently or on a reduced leave 
schedule.''.
    (c) Substitution of Paid Leave.--Section 6382(d) of such title is 
amended by inserting before ``, except'' the following: ``, or for 
leave provided under subsection (a)(3) any of the employee's accrued or 
accumulated annual leave under subchapter I for any part of the 24-hour 
period of such leave under such subsection''.
    (d) Notice.--Section 6382(e) of such title is amended by adding at 
the end the following:
    ``(3) In any case in which the necessity for leave under subsection 
(a)(3) is foreseeable, the employee shall provide the employing agency 
with not less than 7 days' notice, before the date the leave is to 
begin, of the employee's intention to take leave under such subsection. 
If the necessity for the leave is not foreseeable, the employee shall 
provide such notice as is practicable.''.
    (e) Certification.--Section 6383 of such title is amended by adding 
at the end the following:
    ``(f) An employing agency may require that a request for leave 
under section 6382(a)(3) be supported by a certification issued at such 
time and in such manner as the Office of Personnel Management may by 
regulation prescribe.''.

SEC. 4. EFFECTIVE DATE.

    This Act takes effect 120 days after the date of enactment of this 
Act.