I 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3580 

To require the Secretary of the Treasury to use revenue generated by certain 

fines, penalties, and settlements that are not designated for restitution 

or any other purpose to fund evidence-based youth mentoring projects, 

justice reinvestment efforts, and innovations in medical research and 

development. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

NOVEMBER 21, 2013 

Mr. FATTAH introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Education 

and the Workforce, Science, Space, and Technology, and Energy and 

Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, 

in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To require the Secretary of the Treasury to use revenue 

generated by certain fines, penalties, and settlements 

that are not designated for restitution or any other purpose to fund evidence-based youth mentoring projects, 

justice reinvestment efforts, and innovations in medical 

research and development. 

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


jbell on DSK7SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
2 

•HR 3580 IH

1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘America’s Fund for 

3 Future Opportunities and Outcomes in the United States 

4 Act of 2013’’ or ‘‘America’s FOCUS Act of 2013’’. 

5 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

6 Congress finds the following: 

7 (1) The United States faces increasing competi8 tion from countries with populations of a billion or 

9 more inhabitants, who contribute to the human cap10 ital of these countries and improve their perform11 ance in the global economy. 

12 (2) To ensure that the United States retains its 

13 leadership position in the global economy, the United 

14 States should maximize the opportunities and out15 comes of its citizenry. 

16 (3) The United States can achieve this goal by 

17 investing in STEM education and character develop18 ment for youth, justice reinvestment efforts, and in19 novations in medical research and development. 

20 (4) To fund these investments in the public in21 terest, the United States should use revenue gen22 erated by acts perpetrated against the public inter23 est. 

24 (5) As corporate and financial wrongdoing 

25 touches the lives of all Americans, revenue generated 


jbell on DSK7SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
3 

•HR 3580 IH

1 by such acts should serve as the basis for these in2 vestments. 

3 (6) This revenue should be used to assist pro4 grams and organizations seeking to better the Na5 tion through their work in the youth mentoring, jus6 tice reinvestment, and medical research fields. 

7 (7) In 1998, Congress issued Federal charters 

8 to the Boys and Girls Clubs of America and Big 

9 Brothers Big Sisters of America in recognition of 

10 their work helping children reach their full potential 

11 and succeed in American public life. Youth men12 toring organizations still carry out this work and are 

13 putting children on the path to self-sufficiency. 

14 These organizations include— 

15 (A) the Boys and Girls Clubs of America; 

16 (B) Big Brothers Big Sisters of America; 

17 (C) National CARES Mentoring Move18 ment; 

19 (D) the First Tee; 

20 (E) Amachi; 

21 (F) FIRST Robotics; 

22 (G) the U.S. DREAM Academy; 

23 (H) GEAR UP; 

24 (I) the YMCA; 

25 (J) Civil Air Patrol; 


jbell on DSK7SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
4 

•HR 3580 IH

1 (K) the National Council of Youth Sports; 

2 (L) Girls Inc.; and 

3 (M) National Urban League. 

4 (8) Innovations in medical research and devel5 opment significantly benefit the American people. 

6 For example, through innovations in the diagnosis 

7 and treatment of life-threatening diseases, Ameri8 cans are now living longer and more productive lives, 

9 contributing to the economic growth of the United 

10 States. Additional investments in medical research 

11 and development will contribute to overall public 

12 health and productivity in America. 

13 (9) Through participation in the Justice Rein14 vestment Initiative, State governments have imple15 mented evidence-based criminal justice reforms. 

16 These reforms are cost effective, redirecting revenue 

17 to better serve the public safety needs of local com18 munities. In addition, these reforms have decreased 

19 risks of recidivism and instituted alternatives to in20 carceration for non-violent offenders. According to a 

21 July 2013 report from the Urban Institute, States 

22 participating in the Justice Reinvestment Initiative 

23 may achieve $3.3 billion in savings over the next 10 

24 years. Additional funding to the Initiative would betVerDate Mar 15 2010 23:53 Nov 25, 2013 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3580.IH H3580

jbell on DSK7SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
5 

•HR 3580 IH

1 ter enable State and local governments to carry out 

2 this work and achieve these savings. 

3 SEC. 3. AMERICA’S FOCUS FUND. 

4 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in the 

5 Treasury a separate account to be known as the America’s 

6 FOCUS Fund (hereafter in this Act referred to as the 

7 ‘‘Fund’’). 

8 (b) REVENUE DEPOSITED IN FUND.—Except as pro9 vided in subsection (c), the Secretary of the Treasury shall 

10 deposit in the Fund— 

11 (1) all revenue generated by civil and criminal 

12 fines and penalties for the violation or alleged viola13 tion of Federal law; 

14 (2) all revenue generated by legal settlements 

15 reached between corporations and the Federal Gov16 ernment for the violation or alleged violation of Fed17 eral law; and 

18 (3) any gift, bequest, or donation to the Fund 

19 from a private entity or individual, if such gift, be20 quest, or donation does not attach any condition in21 consistent with Federal law or regulations. 

22 (c) EXCEPTIONS.—The Secretary may not deposit in 

23 the Fund— 


jbell on DSK7SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
6 

•HR 3580 IH

1 (1) revenue designated for deposit in the Crime 

2 Victims Fund established by section 1402 of the Vic3 tims of Crime Act of 1984 (42 U.S.C. 10601); or 

4 (2) revenue that has been designated by Fed5 eral law or court order for deposit in a fund other 

6 than the General Fund. 

7 (d) USE OF FUNDS.— 

8 (1) IN GENERAL.—Revenue in the Fund shall 

9 be used for the following purposes: 

10 (A) YOUTH MENTORING GRANTS.—Not 

11 more than 33 percent of the total revenue in 

12 the Fund as calculated on a quarterly basis 

13 shall be used to award grants for evidence14 based youth mentoring and STEM education, 

15 in the manner provided in section 4. 

16 (B) JUSTICE REINVESTMENT GRANTS.— 

17 Not more than 33 percent of the total revenue 

18 in the Fund as calculated on a quarterly basis 

19 shall be used to award grants for evidence20 based justice reinvestment, in the manner pro21 vided in section 5. 

22 (C) MEDICAL INNOVATION GRANTS.—Not 

23 more than 33 percent of the total revenue in 

24 the Fund as calculated on a quarterly basis 

25 shall be used to award grants and prizes for inVerDate Mar 15 2010 23:53 Nov 25, 2013 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3580.IH H3580

jbell on DSK7SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
7 

•HR 3580 IH

1 novations in medical research and development, 

2 in the manner provided in section 6. 

3 (D) REDUCING THE FEDERAL DEBT.—The 

4 Secretary shall use the remaining revenue for 

5 Federal budget deficit reduction or, if there is 

6 no Federal budget deficit for the fiscal year, for 

7 reducing the Federal debt in such manner as 

8 the Secretary considers appropriate. 

9 (2) REQUIREMENT TO SUPPLEMENT, NOT SUP10 PLANT OTHER FUNDS.—Grant funds awarded under 

11 this Act shall be used to supplement, and not sup12 plant, other Federal, State, and local funds des13 ignated to carry out the activities funded by the 

14 grants. 

15 (e) RETENTION OF SUMS IN FUND.—Sums deposited 

16 in the Fund shall remain in the Fund and be available 

17 for expenditure for grants under this Act without fiscal 

18 year limitation. 

19 SEC. 4. YOUTH MENTORING GRANTS. 

20 (a) IN GENERAL.— 

21 (1) YOUTH MENTORING GRANTS.—The Sec22 retary of Education, in cooperation with the Federal 

23 Mentoring Council, shall award grants to eligible en24 tities that provide evidence-based youth mentoring 


jbell on DSK7SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
8 

•HR 3580 IH

1 programs, using the revenue designated for such 

2 purpose in subparagraph (A) of section 3(d)(1). 

3 (2) STEM EDUCATION GRANTS.—The Asso4 ciate Administrator for Education for the National 

5 Aeronautics and Space Administration shall award 

6 grants to eligible entities that offer STEM education 

7 to individuals under the age of 21, using the revenue 

8 designated for such purpose in subparagraph (A) of 

9 section 3(d)(1). 

10 (b) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—An entity is eligible for a 

11 grant under this section if it is— 

12 (1) a national non-profit, community-based or13 ganization with at least 2 years of experience in ad14 ministering STEM education programs or youth 

15 mentoring programs; or 

16 (2) a State or local government. 

17 (c) APPLICATION.—An entity seeking to receive a 

18 grant under this section shall submit an application at 

19 such time and in such form as the Secretary may reason20 ably require. 

21 (d) DISTRIBUTION OF FUNDS.—Of the funds avail22 able under this section, 25 percent shall be allocated for 

23 the award of grants to State and local governments. 

24 (e) USE OF FUNDS.— 

25 (1) STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS.— 


jbell on DSK7SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
9 

•HR 3580 IH

1 (A) IN GENERAL.—A State or local gov2 ernment that receives a grant under this section 

3 shall distribute the grant funds to non-profit, 

4 community-based organizations and local edu5 cational agencies within the jurisdiction of such 

6 government that provide evidence-based men7 toring or STEM education to individuals under 

8 the age of 21. 

9 (B) FUNDS RESERVED FOR VULNERABLE

10 YOUTH.—A State or local government that re11 ceives grant funds under this section shall allo12 cate not less than 50 percent of such funds for 

13 distribution to organizations described in sub14 paragraph (A) that provide evidence-based men15 toring or STEM education to vulnerable youth. 

16 (2) OTHER ENTITIES.— 

17 (A) IN GENERAL.—An organization other 

18 than a State or local government that receives 

19 a grant under this section shall use the grant 

20 funds to establish or expand one or more pro21 grams that provide evidence-based mentoring or 

22 STEM education to individuals under the age 

23 of 21. 

24 (B) FUNDS RESERVED FOR PERSISTENT

25 POVERTY COUNTIES.—An organization other 


jbell on DSK7SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
10 

•HR 3580 IH

1 than a State or local government that receives 

2 grant funds under this section shall allocate not 

3 less than 10 percent of such funds for programs 

4 that provide evidence-based mentoring or 

5 STEM education in persistent poverty counties. 

6 (f) ANNUAL AWARD OF GRANTS.—To the extent 

7 funds are available, the grants under this section shall be 

8 awarded at least once during each fiscal year, with the 

9 first grants to be awarded within 90 days after the date 

10 of the enactment of this Act. 

11 (g) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

12 (1) STEM EDUCATION PROGRAM.—The term 

13 ‘‘STEM education program’’ means a program to 

14 educate students in one or more of the following dis15 ciplines: science, technology, engineering, or mathe16 matics. 

17 (2) PERSISTENT POVERTY COUNTIES.—The 

18 term ‘‘persistent poverty counties’’ means any coun19 ty that has had 20 percent or more of its population 

20 living in poverty over the past 30 years, as measured 

21 by the 1990, 2000, and 2010 decennial censuses. 

22 (3) VULNERABLE YOUTH.—The term ‘‘vulner23 able youth’’ includes individuals under the age of 

24 21— 


jbell on DSK7SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
11 

•HR 3580 IH

1 (A) who experience emotional and adjust2 ment problems; 

3 (B) who have left or are at risk of leaving 

4 secondary school without a diploma; 

5 (C) who lack the skills to succeed in the 

6 workforce after graduation; 

7 (D) who live in an unstable family or com8 munity environment; 

9 (E) who are involved in the juvenile justice 

10 system; 

11 (F) who are homeless or live in foster care; 

12 (G) who have physical or mental disabil13 ities; 

14 (H) who receive special education; 

15 (I) who are or have been victims of human 

16 trafficking; or 

17 (J) who live in neighborhoods with high 

18 rates of illegal drug use. 

19 SEC. 5. JUSTICE REINVESTMENT GRANTS. 

20 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Attorney General shall use 

21 the revenue designated for justice reinvestment grants in 

22 subparagraph (B) of section 3(d)(1) to fund evidence23 based justice reinvestment projects as part of the Justice 

24 Reinvestment Initiative and programs established under 

25 the Second Chance Act within the Department of Justice. 


jbell on DSK7SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
12 

•HR 3580 IH

1 (b) USE OF FUNDS.— 

2 (1) STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS.— 

3 (A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 

4 paragraphs (2) and (3), 50 percent of the funds 

5 under this section shall be used to award grants 

6 to State and local governments for evidence7 based justice reinvestment projects. 

8 (B) FUNDS RESERVED FOR PERSISTENT

9 POVERTY COUNTIES.—The Attorney General 

10 shall allocate not less than 10 percent of such 

11 funds for projects that support persistent pov12 erty counties. 

13 (2) FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.—The Attorney 

14 General may use not more than 25 percent of the 

15 funds under this section to support Federal justice 

16 reinvestment projects. 

17 (3) SECOND CHANCE ACT PROGRAMS.—The At18 torney General shall allocate not more than 25 per19 cent of the funds in this section to grant programs 

20 established under the Second Chance Act within the 

21 Department of Justice. 

22 (c) APPLICATION.—An entity seeking to receive a 

23 grant under this section shall submit an application at 

24 such time and in such form as the Attorney General may 

25 reasonably require. 


jbell on DSK7SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
13 

•HR 3580 IH

1 (d) ANNUAL AWARD OF GRANTS.—To the extent 

2 funds are available, the Attorney General shall award 

3 grants under this section at least once during each fiscal 

4 year, with the first grants to be awarded within 90 days 

5 after the date of the enactment of this Act. 

6 (e) PERSISTENT POVERTY COUNTIES DEFINED.—In 

7 this section, the term ‘‘persistent poverty counties’’ means 

8 any county that has had 20 percent or more of its popu9 lation living in poverty over the past 30 years, as meas10 ured by the 1990, 2000, and 2010 decennial censuses. 

11 SEC. 6. MEDICAL INNOVATION GRANTS. 

12 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the National In13 stitutes of Health shall use the revenue designated for 

14 medical innovation in subparagraph (C) of section 3(d)(1) 

15 to fund entities that conduct innovative medical research 

16 and development. 

17 (b) USE OF FUNDS.— 

18 (1) GRANTS.— 

19 (A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 

20 paragraph (2), the funds available under this 

21 section shall be used to award grants to entities 

22 that conduct innovative medical research and 

23 development to provide faster cures for medical 

24 ailments and diseases. 


jbell on DSK7SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
14 

•HR 3580 IH

1 (B) APPLICATION.—An entity seeking to 

2 receive a grant under this paragraph shall sub3 mit an application at such time and in such 

4 form as the Director may reasonably require. 

5 (2) PRIZES.—The Director may use not more 

6 than 15 percent of the funds available under this 

7 section to award monetary prizes to entities that 

8 have used their own funding and research facilities 

9 to produce innovative results in medical research 

10 and development. 

11 (c) ANNUAL AWARD OF GRANTS AND PRIZES.—To 

12 the extent funds are available, the Director of the National 

13 Institutes of Health shall award the grants and prizes 

14 under this section at least once during each fiscal year, 

15 with the first grants and prizes to be awarded within 90 

16 days after the date of the enactment of this Act. 

Æ 


jbell on DSK7SPTVN1PROD with BILLS