S222 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE January 8, 2009 

businesses. Small businesses also tend 

to be based in our cities and communities and so they are major contributors to our local economies. Half of our 

county’s payroll jobs and most of our 

new job opportunities are provided by 

small businesses. Small businesses are 

proven innovators and drive commercialization of cutting edge technologies. Not only are small businesses 

our major source of employment, they 

employ about one third of our country’s scientists and engineers and generate more patents on a per capita 

basis than large businesses and universities. They also are effective partners 

with universities to enhance product 

creation, develop university income 

and attract university graduates and 

faculty through increased innovative 

job opportunities. 

Over the last 25 years, through the 

Small Business Innovation and Research program, SBIR, and, more recently, the Small Business Technology 

Transfer program, STTR, up to 2.5 percent and 0.3 percent, respectively, of 

Federal R&D funds from 11 Federal 

agencies have been specifically allocated to our Nation’s small businesses 

to fund innovation. These small business allocations are not sufficient. We 

must diversify and strengthen innovation capabilities and our economic 

base, and to accomplish this we must 

extend and increase R&D allocations to 

our Nation’s innovative small businesses. 

My bill does 3 things. First, it extends the SBIR and STTR programs for 

a further 14 years so that small businesses, as well as universities and nonprofit research organizations that collaborate with small businesses, can 

continue to leverage Federal research 

and development funding. 

Second, it significantly increases the 

allocation of funds and the awards 

from large Federal research and development budgets to small businesses 

through the SBIR and STTR programs. 

It would increase the SBIR allocation 

from its current 2.5 percent to 10 percent and the STTR allocation from 0.3 

percent to 1.0 percent over a 3-year period. It would increase SBIR phase I 

awards from $100,000 to $300,000 and 

phase II awards from $750,000 to $2.2 

million. Third, it identifies specific 

funding priorities for energy innovation; safe and secure water; domestic 

security; and transportation. 

The SBIR program is tested, successful and worthy of extension. In its comprehensive study of the SBIR program, 

the National Research Council found 

that the program ‘‘is sound in concept 

and effective in practice’’; was ‘‘stimulating technological innovation’’; 

‘‘linking universities to the public and 

private markets’’; ‘‘increasing private 

sector commercialization of innovations’’ at an ‘‘impressive’’ rate; and 

‘‘providing widely distributed support 

for innovation activity.’’ The study 

concluded that: 

[T]he program is proving effective in meeting Congressional objectives. It is increasing 

innovation, encouraging participation by 

small companies in R&D, providing support 

for small firms owned by minorities and 

women, and resolving research questions for 

mission agencies in a cost effective manner. 

Should the Congress wish to provide additional funds for the program in support of 

these objectives, those funds could be employed effectively by the nation’s SBIR. 

The NRC’s study also found that universities and other non-profit research 

institutions would benefit significantly 

from the increase in both the SBIR and 

the STTR programs. In particular, the 

STTR allocation increase will directly 

benefit universities and efforts to bring 

university-based research into the 

commercial marketplace, as a partnership with a non-profit research institution, such as a university, is a requirement of all STTR award recipients. 

Many of the small businesses that receive SBIR funding are rooted in the 

university infrastructure so investigators and graduates from universities 

will have opportunities to be part of 

commercial developments. More than 

two-thirds of SBIR companies report 

that at least one founder was previously an academic. About one-third 

of SBIR company founders were most 

recently employed as academics before 

founding the company. Over a third of 

SBIR projects cite direct university involvement with 27 percent of projects 

having university faculty as contractors on the project, 17 percent using 

universities themselves as subcontractors, and 15 percent employing graduate students. 

In its report accompanying reauthorization legislation, the Senate Small 

Business and Entrepreneurship Committee recently concluded that: 

increases in the SBIR allocation will invest 

money in research, contracting, internships, 

and other collaborative activities done with 

universities, with the contracting and patenting activities with SBIR companies being 

a sizable source of revenue for universities as 

well. The university-industry partnerships 

that SBIR creates are crucial in that they 

provide an applied research and commercialization focus that otherwise likely would 

not be present in university research. More 

specifically, the partnerships are important 

in exposing faculty and the next generation 

of scientists and engineers to commercial research and development. SBIR businesses 

provide graduate and undergraduate students with hands-on experience and job opportunities that universities would be unable 

to provide alone. 

Our country not only faces immediate economic and employment challenges, it faces major challenges in 

transportation, energy, domestic security and water quality and safety. Targeted research and development will be 

critical. Congress, with non-partisan 

expert guidance, has a role to play in 

guiding our national research and development priorities and, in this case, 

stimulating small business innovation 

and job creation in specific areas of 

critical national need. The National 

Academies of Science and other independent government research organizations provide us with carefully researched and considered recommendations on how we can address these priorities, so my bill draws on their recommendations to develop innovative 

energy technologies; enhance water 

quality and security; strengthen domestic security; and address transportation priorities. This is not only a 

good investment in short term job creation; it is an imperative investment in 

our Nation’s long term innovation 

prospects and economic development. 

The costs of my bill would be fully 

offset by cancellation of the airborne 

laser program. CBO estimates that cancelling that program will produce savings of over $2.6 billion. 

By Mr. FEINGOLD: 

S. 178. A bill to amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 

1965 to authorize a connecting education and emerging professions demonstration grant program; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, 

and Pensions. 

Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, as the 

111th Congress begins, I am reintroducing a number of different bills designed to fuel job creation and spur 

economic development. My initiative, 

dubbed E4 because of its focus on economy, employment, education, and energy, seeks to respond to economic and 

job development needs both in my 

State of Wisconsin and around the 

country. These challenging economic 

times call for a comprehensive set of 

solutions including providing new job 

training opportunities for workers, fostering innovation among small businesses, protecting the existing familysupporting jobs in our nation, and 

boosting educational opportunities for 

young Americans. Today I am introducing the Connecting Education and 

Emerging Professions Act of 2009, 

which provides competitive grants to 

States and local school districts to promote better collaboration between 

high schools and local businesses and 

workforce development groups. This E4 

education initiative is designed to help 

prepare America’s students for future 

success in the workforce and post-secondary education as well as enhance 

America’s competitiveness in the global economy as we prepare to enter the 

second decade of the twenty-first century. 

Helping to ensure that all American 

students have access to a high-quality 

education is critical to boosting America’s competitiveness and helping to 

ensure that our country is better 

equipped to respond to the economic 

challenges currently before us. Investment in our young people now will pay 

off in the future when these individuals 

are better prepared to compete for the 

highly skilled jobs of tomorrow. If the 

United States is to remain competitive 

on an international stage and continue 

to lead the world in innovation and development, we need to make certain 

that our young people are well prepared to meet current and future economic challenges. 

Improving educational opportunities 

in the United States is going to require 


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January 8, 2009 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S223 

a comprehensive set of policy strategies and I look forward to working 

with my colleagues in Congress this 

year as we get to work on a variety of 

education issues including expanding 

access to education from pre-K through 

college. We also face the monumental 

task of reauthorizing and reforming 

the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, ESEA, better known as No 

Child Left Behind, NCLB. As we consider the ESEA reauthorization, we 

should make substantial changes to 

the testing mandates that were imposed through NCLB and provide support to states that develop smarter accountability systems with enhanced assessments that measure higher-order 

thinking skills among students. We 

also need to look at ways to strengthen 

and reform our Nation’s public secondary schools as part of the ESEA reauthorization. The legislation I am introducing today is designed to help 

support innovative changes that are 

taking place in some of our Nation’s 

high schools and help even more States 

and local communities make improvements to their local high schools. 

My CEEP bill seeks to address a couple of interrelated issues related to secondary education. The first issue is the 

alarmingly high dropout rate in our 

nation’s high schools. While numbers 

vary slightly, a growing body of research indicates that the United States 

has a graduation rate of approximately 

70 percent and that about one-third of 

our country’s high school students will 

not graduate on time. Graduation rates 

for minority and low-income students 

are even lower, in many cases, alarmingly lower. In addition, many of our 

nation’s urban school districts report 

very high dropout rates, including the 

Milwaukee Public School District. According to the Cities in Crisis report 

released in 2008 by the Editorial 

Projects in Education Research Center, 

the Milwaukee Public Schools has a 

graduation rate of 46.1 percent. Unfortunately, there are at least a dozen 

large urban districts that have even 

lower graduation rates than Milwaukee. 

One of our top education priorities as 

a Nation must be to address the low 

graduation rates nationwide in urban, 

suburban, and rural school districts. 

We must also work to close the huge 

opportunity gap that is created by the 

large disparity in graduation rates between our minority and non-minority 

students as well as between low-income 

and more affluent students. Solving 

this problem will require a broad, comprehensive solution involving the federal, state and local governments. It is 

my hope that when Congress finally reauthorizes the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, we pay particular attention to the needs of our 

nation’s high schools and our students. 

While many factors contribute to 

high dropout rates, disengagement 

from classroom instruction can contribute to a student’s decision to drop 

out. Some students feel that high 

school is not relevant to their lives and 

do not see how completing high school 

will translate into future career and 

academic success. In this increasingly 

competitive twenty-first century where 

postsecondary education is now required for many entry-level jobs, it is 

up to us to show our nation’s students 

why it is so important that they graduate from high school. 

Another issue that this bill seeks to 

address is the growing sense among 

employers and postsecondary institutions that our nation’s high school students who do graduate are unprepared 

for success either in the workforce or 

in college. Employers in various economic sectors, including technology, 

manufacturing, health care, construction, and others, report difficulty in 

identifying qualified candidates for 

skilled positions. Recent surveys also 

indicate that many employers are dissatisfied with the overall preparation 

of secondary school graduates. In order 

for companies in the United States to 

be competitive in a global economy, we 

must have a highly skilled workforce. 

Adequate preparation at the high 

school level can help prepare students 

for entry into our rapidly changing 

global economy where new emerging 

industries are cropping up in Wisconsin 

and around the country. 

To address these two interrelated 

issues, my bill would provide 5-year 

competitive education grants to states 

and school districts to foster collaboration and discussions between schools, 

businesses, and others about the 

emerging industry workforce needs and 

how to prepare our high school students to meet those needs, both academically and practically. States and 

local school districts must use this 

money to form partnerships with local 

or regional businesses, postsecondary 

institutions, workforce development 

boards, labor organizations, nonprofit 

organizations and others. 

These partnerships will have the responsibility of surveying local, regional, and statewide emerging industries and deciding what are the academic and work-based skills that our 

high school students need in order to 

be successful in these emerging industries. The partnerships will then work 

together to develop new and engaging 

curriculums and programs designed to 

teach the academic and work-based 

skills that are necessary to succeed in 

these new emerging industries. Once 

the partnership has designed a curriculum or program and received approval from the Federal Department of 

Education, the partnership will work 

to implement the program in qualifying schools. 

During the implementation phase, 

the partnership will come together to 

implement hands-on learning and work 

opportunities for students including internships, apprenticeships, job shadowing, and other career and technical 

education programs. These hands-on 

learning and work opportunities will be 

based on the emerging industry pathways curriculum or program that the 

eligible partnership has designed and 

will offer students practical academic 

experiences and skill-building lessons 

that they can use in the workplace or 

in postsecondary education. 

This legislation seeks to help 

schools, businesses, colleges, and the 

students who would be served by this 

legislation talk with each other to 

build new programs that would help 

boost student engagement in learning 

and student attendance and graduation 

rates while also preparing students for 

success in the workforce or in college 

after they graduate. There are a number of successful local and state programs around Wisconsin that this legislation would help support and that 

served as valuable examples as I developed this legislation. 

Wisconsin’s Department of Public Instruction, Department of Workforce 

Development, and various local school 

districts have all been working to 

boost Wisconsin’s career and technical 

education offerings and gear these offerings towards emerging industries. 

My bill seeks to help Wisconsin and 

other states build on these efforts and 

engage in additional conversations 

with interested stakeholders to design 

new curriculums and programs to prepare students for emerging industries. 

I look forward to moving this legislation forward this year as the new Congress begins to debate how best to 

boost educational opportunities for all 

of our Nation’s children. We have a significant achievement gap and graduation gap in urban, rural, and suburban 

schools throughout the country and it 

is imperative that we work together to 

promote innovative ideas that will 

close these gaps. Some of our Nation’s 

schools are experiencing high dropout 

rates in part because students aren’t 

connecting with what they are being 

taught. At the same time, we’re seeing 

an emergence of new industries, like 

those aiming to capitalize on alternative energies and energy efficiency, 

that need employers with skills and 

training in their field. If we help 

schools connect their students with 

businesses, workforce development 

boards, and colleges that offer career 

and academic opportunities in these 

new and exciting fields, we can help to 

lower the alarming dropout rates while 

helping these emerging industries 

thrive. 

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed 

in the RECORD. 

There being no objection, the text of 

the bill was ordered to be printed in 

the RECORD, as follows: 

S. 178 

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 ‘‘Connecting 

Education and Emerging Professions Act of 

2009’’. 

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES. 

(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 


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S224 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE January 8, 2009 

(1) The majority of secondary school students in the United States receive some career-related instruction before graduation, 

and about half of secondary school students 

have a strong career-related component to 

their educational programs. 

(2) A gap still remains between what students are learning in school and the knowledge required to succeed in the current labor 

market. 

(3) Employers in various economic sectors, 

including technology, manufacturing, 

healthcare, construction, and others, report 

difficulty in identifying qualified candidates 

for skilled positions. 

(4) A survey of more than 400 employers 

nationwide found that nearly half were dissatisfied with the overall preparation of secondary school graduates. 

(5) Almost 40 percent of secondary school 

graduates report feeling unprepared for the 

workplace or postsecondary education. 

(6) In order for companies in the United 

States to be competitive in a global economy, the United States must have a highly 

skilled workforce. 

(7) Adequate preparation on the secondary 

school level can help prepare students to 

enter high-demand fields in need of skilled 

workers. 

(8) Collaboration between businesses, industries, and education leaders can help determine how best to prepare students for 

workforce success. 

(9) Career-related experiences during secondary education, such as apprenticeships, 

are associated with positive labor market 

outcomes for students. 

(10) The United States has a secondary 

school graduation rate of 70 percent, and approximately one-third of students entering 

secondary school will not graduate on time. 

(11) Minority and low socioeconomic status 

students have significantly lower secondary 

school graduation rates. 

(12) Disengagement from classroom instruction contributes to student decisions to 

drop out of school. 

(13) Studies indicate a link between careeroriented models of secondary education, secondary school dropout rate reduction, and 

higher earning potential for secondary 

school graduates. 

(14) Studies suggest that academic lessons 

taught in a work context or an applied manner can improve some students’ ability to 

comprehend and retain information. 

(b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this Act 

are to— 

(1) foster improved collaboration among 

secondary schools, State, regional, and local 

businesses, institutions of higher education, 

industry, workforce development organizations, labor organizations, and other nonprofit community organizations to identify 

emerging industry pathways, as well as the 

academic skills necessary to improve student success in the workforce or postsecondary education; 

(2) address industry and postsecondary 

education needs for a prepared and skilled 

workforce; 

(3) improve the potential for economic and 

employment growth in covered communities; 

and 

(4) help address the dropout crisis in the 

United States by involving students in a collaborative curriculum or program development process related to emerging industry 

pathways to improve student engagement 

and attendance in secondary school. 

SEC. 3. CONNECTING EDUCATION AND EMERGING PROFESSIONS DEMONSTRATION 

GRANT PROGRAM. 

(a) AUTHORIZATION.—Part D of title V of 

the Elementary and Secondary Education 

Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7241 et seq.) is amended 

by adding at the end the following: 

‘‘Subpart 22—Connecting Education and 

Emerging Professions Demonstration Grant 

Program 

‘‘SEC. 5621. DEFINITIONS. 

‘‘In this subpart: 

‘‘(1) COVERED COMMUNITY.—The term ‘covered community’ means a town, city, community, region, or State that has— 

‘‘(A) experienced a significant percentage 

job loss in the 5 years prior to the date of enactment of this subpart or is projected to experience a significant percentage job loss 

within 5 years after the date of enactment of 

this subpart; or 

‘‘(B) an unemployment rate that has increased in the 12 months prior to the date of 

enactment of this subpart. 

‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE PARTNERSHIP.—The term ‘eligible partnership’ means a partnership that 

includes— 

‘‘(A) a State educational agency, a consortium of local educational agencies, or a local 

educational agency that collaborates with— 

‘‘(i) a State, regional, or local business, including a small business, that serves a covered community in which a qualifying school 

is located; or 

‘‘(ii) a regional workforce investment 

board that serves a covered community in 

which a qualifying school is located; and 

‘‘(B) at least 1 of the following entities: 

‘‘(i) An institution of higher education 

that provides a 4-year program of instruction. 

‘‘(ii) An accredited community college. 

‘‘(iii) An accredited career or technical 

school or college. 

‘‘(iv) A tribal college or university. 

‘‘(v) A nonprofit community organization. 

‘‘(vi) A labor organization. 

‘‘(3) EMERGING INDUSTRY PATHWAYS.—The 

term ‘emerging industry pathways’ means 

industry careers that— 

‘‘(A) are estimated to increase in the number of job opportunities in a covered community within the 5 to 7 years after the date of 

enactment of this subpart; 

‘‘(B) require new academic skill sets because of new technology or innovation in the 

field; 

‘‘(C) are important to the growth of the 

State economy, regional economy, or local 

area’s economy; and 

‘‘(D) may include— 

‘‘(i) green industries; 

‘‘(ii) healthcare industries; 

‘‘(iii) advanced manufacturing industries; 

and 

‘‘(iv) programs of study, as described in 

section 122(c)(1)(A) of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006. 

‘‘(4) QUALIFYING SCHOOL.—The term ‘qualifying school’ means a secondary school 

that— 

‘‘(A) serves students not less than 30 percent of whom are eligible for the school 

lunch program under the Richard B. Russell 

National School Lunch Act or meet an 

equivalent indicator of poverty established 

by the Secretary; 

‘‘(B) has a graduation rate that is lower 

than the State average; and 

‘‘(C) is located in a covered community. 

‘‘(5) SCHOOL- AND WORK-BASED CURRICULUM

OR PROGRAM.—The term ‘school- and workbased curriculum or program’ means a curriculum or program that incorporates a combination of school-based instruction and 

work-based learning opportunities, including 

internships, work experience programs, apprenticeships, service learning programs, 

mentorship opportunities, job shadowing, 

and other career and technical education 

programs, in an emerging industry pathway. 

‘‘(6) TRIBAL COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY.—The 

term ‘tribal college or university’ means an 

educational institution that is— 

‘‘(A) a tribal college or university, as defined in section 2(a) of the Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities Assistance 

Act of 1978; or 

‘‘(B) one of the 1994 Institutions, as defined 

in section 532 of the Equity in Educational 

Land-Grant Status Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 301 

note). 

‘‘SEC. 5622. PROGRAM AUTHORIZED. 

‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—From amounts appropriated under section 5626, the Secretary 

shall establish and carry out an emerging 

professions and educational improvement 

demonstration project, by awarding grants, 

on a competitive basis, to eligible partnerships. 

‘‘(b) PROGRAM PERIODS.— 

‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 

award grants under this subpart for periods 

of not more than 5 years, of which the eligible partnership shall use— 

‘‘(A) not more than 18 months for assessing 

emerging industry pathways, assessing the 

academic skills needed for success in such 

pathways, and designing a school- and workbased curriculum or program to teach such 

academic skills necessary for success in an 

emerging industry pathway; 

‘‘(B) not more than 48 months for implementing the new emerging industry pathways school- and work-based curriculum or 

program in qualifying schools; and 

‘‘(C) not more than 12 months to disseminate best practices to other State educational agencies, local educational agencies, or schools. 

‘‘(2) OVERLAP.—Each eligible partnership 

receiving a grant under this subpart may 

carry out subparagraphs (A), (B), or (C) concurrently. 

‘‘(c) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants under 

this subpart, the Secretary shall give priority to eligible partnerships that— 

‘‘(1) serve qualifying schools in which 50 

percent or more of the students are eligible 

for the school lunch program under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act or 

meet an equivalent indicator of poverty established by the Secretary; 

‘‘(2) serve qualifying schools the majority 

of which have secondary school dropout 

rates in the top 25 percent statewide; 

‘‘(3) pledge to serve the students most atrisk of dropping out of qualifying schools; 

‘‘(4) develop school- and work-based curricula or programs serving green industries, 

health care industries, and advanced manufacturing industries; or 

‘‘(5) have a demonstrated record of success 

in forming collaborative partnerships with 

businesses, workforce development boards, 

institutions of higher education, local community and technical colleges, tribal colleges or universities, labor organizations, 

and other nonprofit community organizations. 

‘‘SEC. 5623. APPLICATIONS. 

‘‘An eligible partnership that desires to receive a grant under this subpart shall submit 

to the Secretary an application at such time, 

in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require, including— 

‘‘(1) a description of the eligible partnership, including the responsibilities of each 

partner and how each partner will meet its 

responsibilities; 

‘‘(2) a description of the statewide, regional, or local emerging industry pathways 

and labor market needs to be filled; 

‘‘(3) a description of how members of the 

eligible partnership will collaborate with 

each other and interested community stakeholders to assess the emerging industry 

pathways in the State, region, or local area; 

‘‘(4) a description of how the eligible partnership will engage students from qualifying 


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January 8, 2009 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S225 

schools to be served in the design and implementation of the school- and work-based curriculum or program; 

‘‘(5) a description of how the eligible partnership will use the assessment of emerging 

industry pathways to establish a school- and 

work-based curriculum or program to teach 

academic and industry skills needed for success in such emerging industries and how 

these skills will be aligned with existing 

challenging State academic content standards; 

‘‘(6) a description of how teachers, parents 

or guardians, and school guidance counselors 

will be consulted by the eligible partnership 

in the development of the school- and workbased curriculum or program developed 

under this subpart; 

‘‘(7) a description of how the eligible partnership will ensure that teachers and instructors have the necessary training and 

preparation to teach the school- and workbased curriculum or program developed 

under this subpart; 

‘‘(8) a description of how the school- and 

work-based curriculum or program developed 

under this subpart will improve the academic achievement, student attendance, and 

secondary school completion of at-risk students and such students’ readiness to enter 

into a career in an emerging industry or pursue postsecondary education; 

‘‘(9) a description of how the eligible partnership will design a school- and work-based 

curriculum or program that meets the 

unique academic and career development 

needs of students to be served by the curriculum or program; 

‘‘(10) a description of how the school- and 

work-based curriculum or program will support statewide, regional, or local emerging 

industries; 

‘‘(11) a description of how the eligible partnership will measure and report improvement in academic and student engagement 

outcomes among students who participate in 

the school- and work-based curriculum or 

program developed under this subpart; 

‘‘(12) a description of how the eligible partnership will seek to leverage other sources of 

Federal, State, and local funding to support 

the development and implementation of the 

school- and work-based curriculum or program; 

‘‘(13) a description of how the eligible partnership will work to create, use, and evaluate individual learning plans and career 

portfolios for students served under this subpart; 

‘‘(14) a description of how the eligible partnership will coordinate such curriculum or 

program with programs funded under the 

Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006; and 

‘‘(15) a description of how the eligible partnership plans to sustain and expand such 

school- and work-based curriculum or program after the Federal grant period ends. 

‘‘SEC. 5624. PROGRAM ADMINISTRATION. 

‘‘(a) SELECTION.—In awarding grants under 

this subpart, the Secretary shall— 

‘‘(1) consider the information submitted by 

the eligible partnerships under section 5623; 

‘‘(2) prioritize applications in accordance 

with section 5622(c); and 

‘‘(3) select eligible partnerships that submit applications in compliance with section 

5623. 

‘‘(b) AWARD AMOUNTS.— 

‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subsection (c), 

the Secretary shall award each grant under 

this subpart in an amount of not more than 

$5,000,000. 

‘‘(2) USE OF FUNDS.—An eligible partnership that receives a grant under this subpart 

shall use— 

‘‘(A) not more than 35 percent of the grant 

funds for designing the emerging industry 

pathways school- and work-based curriculum 

or program; and 

‘‘(B) not less than 65 percent of the grant 

funds for implementing the emerging industry pathways school- and work-based curriculum or program in qualifying schools. 

‘‘(c) FUNDING TO IMPLEMENT CURRICULA OR

PROGRAMS.—The Secretary may not award 

grant funds under subsection (b)(2)(B) to implement the emerging industry pathways 

school- and work-based curriculum or program until the Secretary certifies that the 

eligible partnership is in compliance with 

the following: 

‘‘(1) The eligible partnership has engaged 

in a collaborative process involving educators and school administrators, including 

curriculum experts, as well as representatives from local businesses and industry to 

assess emerging industry demands and the 

academic knowledge and skills needed to 

meet those demands. 

‘‘(2) The school- and work-based curriculum or program developed by the eligible 

partnership is aligned with challenging State 

academic content standards. 

‘‘(3) The eligible partnership has consulted 

with and involved students in qualifying 

schools in the collaboration process and design of the school- and work-based curriculum or program. 

‘‘(4) The eligible partnership has received a 

commitment from at least 1 qualifying 

school agreeing to implement the schooland work-based curriculum or program in 

the qualifying school. 

‘‘(5) The school- and work-based curriculum or program will help prepare students for both direct entry into a career in 

emerging industries and success in postsecondary education. 

‘‘(6) The eligible partnership has established a plan to promote the school- and 

work-based curriculum or program among 

qualifying schools, businesses, parental 

groups, and community organizations. 

‘‘(d) ELIGIBLE USES OF FUNDS.— 

‘‘(1) PLANNING PHASE.—An eligible partnership that receives a grant under this subpart 

shall use the grant funds in the designing 

phase for the following: 

‘‘(A) Establishing collaborative working 

groups consisting of educators, school administrators, representatives of local or regional businesses, postsecondary education 

representatives, representatives from labor 

organizations, and representatives from nonprofit organizations. 

‘‘(B) Identifying emerging industry pathways at the State, regional, or local level. 

‘‘(C) Identifying the academic and skill 

gaps that need to be addressed to promote 

success in the emerging industry pathways 

identified in subparagraph (B). 

‘‘(D) Developing a school- and work-based 

curriculum or program to teach and integrate the academic and work-based skills, 

including soft skills, that are needed for success in emerging industry pathways and 

postsecondary education. 

‘‘(E) Creating a comprehensive set of academic and industry skills to be taught across 

multiple emerging industry pathways. 

‘‘(F) Aligning the school- and work-based 

curriculum or program with challenging 

State academic content standards. 

‘‘(G) Establishing professional development opportunities for educators, business 

partners, school counselors, and others who 

will be implementing the school- and workbased curriculum or program. 

‘‘(H) Collaborating with multistate regions 

to develop and identify a school- and workbased curriculum or program that addresses 

regional emerging industry pathways. 

‘‘(2) IMPLEMENTING PHASE.—An eligible 

partnership that receives a grant under this 

subpart shall use the grant funds in the implementing phase for the following: 

‘‘(A) Integrating the emerging industry 

pathways school- and work-based curriculum 

or program into classroom- or work-based instruction. 

‘‘(B) Providing professional development 

opportunities designed around the schooland work-based curriculum or program for 

educators, business partners, and others. 

‘‘(C) Identifying and creating school- and 

work-based learning curricula or programs 

for students in such emerging industry pathways. 

‘‘(D) Promoting the school- and work-based 

curriculum or program among school guidance counselors. 

‘‘(E) Working with pupil services staff to 

develop opportunities for career exploration 

among emerging industry pathways business 

partners. 

‘‘(F) Conducting ongoing evaluations of the 

school- and work-based curriculum or program, including assessing whether participating students report increased engagement 

in learning, increased school attendance, and 

improved success upon entry into the workforce or postsecondary education. 

‘‘(G) Purchasing resources, including textbooks, reference materials, assessments, 

labs, computers, and software, for use in the 

school- and work-based curriculum or program. 

‘‘(3) DISSEMINATION PHASE.—An eligible 

partnership that receives a grant under this 

subpart shall use the grant funds in the dissemination phase for the following: 

‘‘(A) Evaluating, cataloging, and disseminating best practices from the school- and 

work-based curriculum or program. 

‘‘(B) Disseminating the school- and workbased curriculum or program to— 

‘‘(i) the National Research Center for Career and Technical Education; 

‘‘(ii) State, regional, and local professional 

education organizations; and 

‘‘(iii) institutions of higher education. 

‘‘(e) MATCHING CONTRIBUTIONS.—An eligible 

partnership that receives a grant under this 

subpart shall provide, from non-Federal 

sources, matching funds, which may be provided in cash or in-kind, to carry out the activities supported by the grant, in an 

amount equal to— 

‘‘(1) for the first year of the grant, 5 percent of the amount of the grant for such 

year; 

‘‘(2) for the second year of the grant, 10 

percent of the amount of the grant for such 

year; 

‘‘(3) for the third year of the grant, 15 percent of the amount of the grant for such 

year; 

‘‘(4) for the fourth year of the grant, 20 percent of the amount of the grant for such 

year; and 

‘‘(5) for the fifth year of the grant, 25 percent of the amount of the grant for such 

year. 

‘‘(f) SUPPLEMENT, NOT SUPPLANT.—Grant 

funds awarded under this subpart shall be 

used to supplement and not supplant other 

Federal, State, and local funds available to 

implement secondary school education programs or career and technical education programs. 

‘‘SEC. 5625. EVALUATION AND REPORTS. 

‘‘(a) ANNUAL REPORTS.—An eligible partnership that receives a grant under this subpart shall submit an annual report to the 

Secretary during the grant period detailing 

how the eligible partnership is using the 

grant funds under this subpart, including— 

‘‘(1) how the State educational agency or 

local educational agency that is a member of 

the eligible partnership collaborated with 

local businesses, workforce boards, institutions of higher education, and community 


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S226 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE January 8, 2009 

organizations to assess emerging industry 

pathways; 

‘‘(2) how the eligible partnership has consulted with and involved students in qualifying schools in the design and implementation of the emerging industry pathways 

school- and work-based curriculum or program; 

‘‘(3) the effectiveness of the school- and 

work-based curriculum or program with respect to improving— 

‘‘(A) student engagement; 

‘‘(B) attendance; 

‘‘(C) secondary school graduation rates; 

and 

‘‘(D) preparation for and placement in a career in an emerging industry or in postsecondary education; 

‘‘(4) how the eligible partnership has improved its capacity to respond to new workforce development priorities and create educational opportunities that address such new 

workforce development priorities; and 

‘‘(5) any other information the Secretary 

may reasonably require. 

‘‘(b) FINAL REPORTS.— 

‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—An eligible partnership 

that receives a grant under this subpart 

shall, at the end of the grant period, collect 

and prepare a report on the following information: 

‘‘(A) The number and percentage of students served by the eligible partnership 

who— 

‘‘(i) graduated from secondary school with 

a regular secondary school diploma in the 

standard number of years; 

‘‘(ii) entered into a job in an emerging industry; and 

‘‘(iii) enrolled in a postsecondary institution. 

‘‘(B) The emerging industry pathways 

school- and work-based curriculum or program and the— 

‘‘(i) successes of such curriculum or program, including placement rates of students 

in work or postsecondary education and 

trends in secondary school graduation rates 

in qualifying schools utilizing the schooland work-based curriculum or program; 

‘‘(ii) areas of improvement for the schooland work-based curriculum or program; 

‘‘(iii) lessons learned from the implementation of the school- and work-based curriculum or program in secondary schools; 

and 

‘‘(iv) plans to replicate the school- and 

work-based curriculum or program in other 

schools or examples of successful replication 

of the curriculum or program. 

‘‘(2) SUBMISSION OF REPORTS.—A report prepared under paragraph (1) shall be submitted 

to the Secretary and the National Research 

Center for Career and Technical Education. 

‘‘(c) FEDERAL EVALUATION AND REPORT.— 

Not later than 6 years after the date of enactment of this subpart, the Secretary 

shall— 

‘‘(1) develop and execute a plan for evaluating the emerging industry pathways 

school- and work-based curricula or programs assisted under this subpart; and 

‘‘(2) submit a report to Congress— 

‘‘(A) detailing aggregate data on— 

‘‘(i) the categories of activities for which 

eligible partnerships used grant funds under 

this subpart; 

‘‘(ii) the impact of the grants on— 

‘‘(I) student engagement, attendance, and 

completion of secondary school; and 

‘‘(II) the postsecondary placement of students in high-quality emerging industry careers or postsecondary education; and 

‘‘(iii) promising strategies for improving 

student engagement, attendance, and completion of secondary school through engaging curricula or programs; and 

‘‘(B) that includes any recommendations 

for improvements that can be made to the 

grant program under this subpart. 

‘‘SEC. 5626. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—From the amounts appropriated to and available for Program Administration within the Departmental Management account in the Department of Education for each of fiscal years 2010 through 

2013, there are authorized to be appropriated 

$25,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2010 

through 2013, respectively, to carry out this 

subpart. 

‘‘(b) SET ASIDE FOR EVALUATION.—Of the 

amounts appropriated under subsection (a) 

for a fiscal year, 2 percent shall be set aside 

for such fiscal year for the Federal evaluation required under section 5625(c).’’. 

(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents in section 2 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 is amended by 

inserting after the item relating to section 

5618 the following: 

‘‘SUBPART 22—CONNECTING EDUCATION AND

EMERGING PROFESSIONS DEMONSTRATION

GRANT PROGRAM

‘‘Sec. 5621. Definitions. 

‘‘Sec. 5622. Program authorized. 

‘‘Sec. 5623. Applications. 

‘‘Sec. 5624. Program administration. 

‘‘Sec. 5625. Evaluation and reports. 

‘‘Sec. 5626. Authorization of appropriations.’’. 

By Ms. STABENOW (for herself 

and Ms. SNOWE). 

S. 179. A bill to improve quality in 

health care by providing incentives for 

adoption of modern information technology, to the Committee on Finance. 

Ms. STABENOW. I am very pleased 

to introduce the Health Information 

Technology Act with my friend and 

colleague from Maine, Senator SNOWE. 

As co-chairs of the Senate Health Care 

Quality Improvement and Information 

Technology Caucus, we have seen firsthand the transformative power information technology has on the delivery 

of health care. 

Our legislation is a substantial downpayment in building up our Nation’s 

health information network and an important step in reforming health care. 

In doing so, we will reduce costs for our 

businesses, improve the quality of care 

for patients, and ensure health providers have access to the most accurate 

information. And I am very excited 

that President-elect Obama identified 

health IT as an important part of investing in our Nation’s economy. 

The result of using 19th century technology in a 21st century health care 

system is higher costs, increased errors, and decreased quality of care. Too 

often, care is duplicated or the best and 

most appropriate care isn’t given. Our 

health care professionals can’t possibly 

provide the best care if they don’t have 

complete and accurate information 

about the patient sitting in front of 

them. 

Many studies have found that as 

much as $300 billion is spent each year 

on health care that does not improve 

patient outcomes on treatment that is 

unnecessary, inappropriate, inefficient, 

or ineffective. For example, in last 

year’s series of health reform hearings 

in the Senate Finance Committee, we 

heard testimony from Elizabeth 

McGlynn of the RAND Corporation 

that we only receive 55 percent of recommended preventive care services, 54 

percent of recommended care for acute 

health problems, and 56 percent of the 

care that doctors agree is necessary for 

people with chronic conditions when 

we seek medical treatment. 

It’s long past time that we fully utilize technology to make health care accessible and affordable for every family 

and business. However, most of our Nation’s health care providers don’t have 

access to capital in order to purchase 

information technology and service updates. Too many providers, especially 

our safety-net providers, are having a 

hard enough time just keeping up with 

their daily costs, much less to invest in 

something new. 

A March 2001 Institute of Medicine 

study concluded that in order to improve quality, there must be a national 

commitment to building an information infrastructure. An October 2003 

Government Accountability Office report found that the benefits of an electronic healthcare information system 

included improved quality of care, reduced costs associated with medication 

errors, more accurate and complete 

medical documentation, more accurate 

capture of codes and charges, and improved communication among providers enabling them to respond more 

quickly to patients’ needs. 

By providing the most appropriate 

care at the most appropriate time in a 

safe, secure way, we can reap huge savings. A January 2005 Report by the 

Center for Information Technology 

Leadership found that moving to 

standardized health information exchange and interoperability would save 

nearly $80 billion annually in the 

United States. 

The benefits of adoption and use of 

health care information technologies, 

systems and services will be widespread: employers will realize cost savings, clinicians will gain new electronic support tools and patient information to help guide medical decisions, 

and patients will benefit from a more 

efficient health care system and from a 

safer health care system with fewer unnecessary treatments and more attention to preventive care. 

We know that adoption of health information technology can play a critical role in 

improving patient outcomes and at the same 

time greatly reduce costs. But it can’t happen without the federal government playing 

a role. The members of the Health Information Technology Leadership Panel concurred 

that without federal leadership, neither their 

individual companies nor the industrial sector as a whole can achieve the breadth of 

HIT adoption that would be required to realize the needed transformation of health care. 

Our country must have a national 

commitment to building an information infrastructure, and the Federal 

Government needs to step up to the 

plate and provide much-needed funds to 

get the ball rolling. Without health IT, 

we are not going to be able to accomplish other reforms necessary to improve our health care system. That is 


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