I 

108TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3660

To authorize the Secretary of Education to enter into a partnership with 

a qualified local educational agency to conduct a model school-to-work 

program, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

DECEMBER 8, 2003

Mr. RUSH introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 

on Education and the Workforce 

A BILL

To authorize the Secretary of Education to enter into a 

partnership with a qualified local educational agency to 

conduct a model school-to-work program, and for other 

purposes.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Vocational Opportuni5 ties and Instruction through Cooperative Education Act 

6 of 2003’’ or the ‘‘VOICE Act of 2003’’. 
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1 SEC. 2. MODEL SCHOOL-TO-WORK PROGRAM. 

2 (a) PARTNERSHIP.—The Secretary of Education may 

3 enter into a partnership with a qualified local educational 

4 agency to conduct a model school-to-work program de5 scribed in subsection (b) for the purpose of determining 

6 whether such a program should be incorporated into public 

7 secondary schools on a nationwide basis. 

8 (b) MODEL SCHOOL-TO-WORK PROGRAM.—

9 (1) IN GENERAL.—The model school-to-work 

10 program under this section shall provide course 

11 credits to secondary school students who participate 

12 in work-based learning experiences in the public or 

13 private sector. 

14 (2) STUDENT ELIGIBILITY.—To participate in 

15 the model school-to-work program under this sec16 tion, a student—

17 (A) must have no criminal background; 

18 (B) must have a grade point average of 2.0 

19 or higher; and 

20 (C) must have a record of school attend21 ance that is deemed satisfactory by the quali22 fied local educational agency. 

23 (3) MINIMUM WAGE.—The model school-to24 work program under this section shall ensure that 

25 students are paid at least the minimum wage under 

26 the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 
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1 201 et seq.) for work performed in connection with 

2 such program. 

3 (4) MAXIMUM HOURS.—The model school-to4 work program under this section shall not require, 

5 or provide course credits for, any work experience in 

6 excess of a total of 20 hours for any week. 

7 (c) REPORT.—Not later than 2 years after the date 

8 of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Education 

9 shall submit a report to the Congress on the results of 

10 the model school-to-work program under this section, in11 cluding recommendations on whether such a program 

12 should be incorporated into public secondary schools on 

13 a nationwide basis. 

14 (d) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this section: 

15 (1) The term ‘‘qualified local educational agen16 cy’’ means a local educational agency that—

17 (A) is located in a Midwestern urban dis18 trict; and 

19 (B) serves at least 400,000 students, of 

20 whom at least 70 percent are eligible for free or 

21 reduced-price lunches under the Richard B. 

22 Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 

23 1751 et seq.). 

24 (2) The terms ‘‘local educational agency’’ and 

25 ‘‘secondary school’’ have the meanings give to those 
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1 terms in section 9101 of the Elementary and Sec2 ondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).

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