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[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 963 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 963

 To authorize the Secretary of Education to make grants to educational 
  organizations to carry out educational programs about the Holocaust.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 22, 2007

 Mr. Menendez introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
  referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
 To authorize the Secretary of Education to make grants to educational 
  organizations to carry out educational programs about the Holocaust.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Simon Wiesenthal Holocaust Education 
Assistance Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.

    (a) Findings.--The Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) The Holocaust was an historical event that resulted in 
        the systemic, state-sponsored mass murders by Nazi Germany of 
        approximately 6,000,000 Jews, along with millions of others, in 
        the name of racial purity.
            (2) Six States (California, Florida, Illinois, 
        Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York) now mandate that the 
        Holocaust be taught in the educational curriculum, 11 States 
        (Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, 
        Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and 
        Washington) recommend teaching the Holocaust but do not provide 
        sufficient funds to assist in the training and educating of 
        teachers, and 3 States (Alabama, Mississippi, and West 
        Virginia) have established councils or commissions that promote 
        Holocaust education.
            (3) The Holocaust is a sensitive and difficult issue about 
        which to teach, and to do so effectively, educators need 
        appropriate teaching tools and training to increase their 
        knowledge to enhance the educational experience.
    (b) Purposes.--The purposes of this Act are the following:
            (1) To educate Americans so that they can--
                    (A) explore the lessons that the Holocaust provides 
                for all people; and
                    (B) be less susceptible to the falsehood of 
                Holocaust denial and to the destructive messages of 
                hate that arise from Holocaust denial.
            (2) To provide resources and support for education programs 
        that--
                    (A) portray accurate historical information about 
                the Holocaust;
                    (B) sensitize communities to the circumstances that 
                gave rise to the Holocaust;
                    (C) convey the lessons that the Holocaust provides 
                for all people; and
                    (D) by developing curriculum guides and providing 
                training, help teachers incorporate into their 
                mainstream disciplines the study of the Holocaust and 
                its lessons.

SEC. 3. AUTHORITY TO MAKE GRANTS.

    From any amounts made available to carry out this Act, the 
Secretary may make grants under this Act to educational organizations 
to carry out proposed or existing Holocaust education programs.

SEC. 4. USE OF GRANT AMOUNTS.

    (a) In General.--An educational organization receiving grant 
amounts under this Act shall use such grant amounts only to carry out 
the Holocaust education program for which the grant amounts were 
provided.
    (b) Requirements.--An educational organization receiving grant 
amounts under this Act shall comply with the following requirements:
            (1) Continuation of eligibility.--The educational 
        organization shall, throughout the period that the educational 
        organization receives and uses such grant amounts, continue to 
        be an educational organization.
            (2) Supplementation of existing funds.--The educational 
        organization shall ensure that such grant amounts are used to 
        supplement, and not supplant, non-Federal funds that would 
        otherwise be available to the educational organization to carry 
        out the Holocaust education program for which the grant amounts 
        were provided.
    (c) Additional Conditions.--The Secretary may require additional 
terms and conditions in connection with the use of grant amounts 
provided under this Act as the Secretary considers appropriate.

SEC. 5. SELECTION CRITERIA.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary shall award grant amounts under this 
Act in accordance with competitive criteria to be established by the 
Secretary.
    (b) Consultation With Holocaust Educators.--In establishing the 
competitive criteria under subsection (a), the Secretary shall consult 
with a variety of individuals, to be determined by the Secretary, who 
are prominent educators in the field of Holocaust education.

SEC. 6. APPLICATION.

    The Secretary may award grant amounts under this Act only to an 
educational organization that has submitted an application to the 
Secretary at such time, in such manner, and containing such information 
as the Secretary may require.

SEC. 7. REVIEW AND SANCTIONS.

    (a) Annual Review.--The Secretary shall review at least annually 
each educational organization receiving grant amounts under this Act to 
determine the extent to which the educational organization has complied 
with the provisions of this Act.
    (b) Imposition of Sanctions.--The Secretary may impose sanctions on 
an educational organization for any failure of the educational 
organization to comply substantially with the provisions of this Act. 
The Secretary shall establish the sanctions to be imposed for a failure 
to comply substantially with the provisions of this Act.

SEC. 8. ANNUAL REPORT.

    Not later than February 1 of each year, the Secretary shall submit 
to the Senate and House of Representatives a report describing the 
activities carried out under this Act and containing any related 
information that the Secretary considers appropriate.

SEC. 9. DEFINITIONS.

    For purposes of this Act, the following definitions shall apply:
            (1) Educational organization.--The term ``educational 
        organization'' means an entity--
                    (A) described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal 
                Revenue Code of 1986;
                    (B) exempt from tax under section 501(a) of the 
                Internal Revenue Code of 1986; and
                    (C) organized and operated for cultural, literary, 
                or educational purposes.
            (2) Holocaust education program.--The term ``Holocaust 
        education program'' means a program that--
                    (A) has as its specific and primary purpose to 
                improve awareness and understanding of the Holocaust; 
                and
                    (B) to achieve such purpose, furnishes one or more 
                of the following:
                            (i) Classes, seminars, or conferences.
                            (ii) Educational materials.
                            (iii) Teacher training.
                            (iv) Any other good or service designed to 
                        improve awareness and understanding of the 
                        Holocaust.
            (3) Holocaust.--The term ``Holocaust'' means the historical 
        event that resulted in the systemic, state-sponsored mass 
        murders by Nazi Germany of approximately 6,000,000 Jews, along 
        with millions of others, in the name of racial purity.
            (4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Education.

SEC. 10. REGULATIONS.

    The Secretary shall issue any regulations necessary to carry out 
this Act.

SEC. 11. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    For grants under this Act, there is authorized to be appropriated 
to the Secretary $2,000,000 each fiscal year for five fiscal years, 
beginning with the first fiscal year to commence after the date of 
enactment of this Act, to remain available until expended.
                                 <all>
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