I 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1474 

To authorize the Secretary of Education to award grants to educational 

organizations to carry out educational programs about the Holocaust. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 9, 2017 

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York introduced the following bill; which 

was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce 

A BILL 

To authorize the Secretary of Education to award grants 

to educational organizations to carry out educational programs about the Holocaust. 

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 ‘‘Simon Wiesenthal Hol5 ocaust Education Assistance Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. HOLOCAUST EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM. 

7 Part A of title IV of the Elementary and Secondary 

8 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7111 et seq.) is amend9 ed by adding at the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘Subpart 3—Holocaust Education Assistance 

2 Program 

3 ‘‘SEC. 4131. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES. 

4 ‘‘(a) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds the following: 

5 ‘‘(1) The Holocaust was a historical event that 

6 resulted in the systemic, state-sponsored, mass mur7 ders by Nazi Germany of 6,000,000 Jews, along 

8 with millions of others, in the name of racial purity. 

9 ‘‘(2) Eight States (California, Florida, Illinois, 

10 Indiana, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, and 

11 Rhode Island) now mandate that the Holocaust be 

12 taught in the educational curriculum, and 12 States 

13 (Alabama, Connecticut, Georgia, Mississippi, Mis14 souri, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South 

15 Carolina, Tennessee, Washington, and West Vir16 ginia) recommend teaching the Holocaust but the 

17 funds necessary to carry out those recommendations 

18 may not be available. 

19 ‘‘(3) The Holocaust is a sensitive and difficult 

20 subject to teach effectively, and educators need ap21 propriate teaching tools and training to increase 

22 their knowledge of the Holocaust and enhance the 

23 educational experience. 

24 ‘‘(b) STATEMENT OF PURPOSE.—It is the purpose of 

25 this subpart— 


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1 ‘‘(1) to educate students in the United States 

2 so that they— 

3 ‘‘(A) may explore the lessons that the Hol4 ocaust provides for all people; and 

5 ‘‘(B) may be less susceptible to the false6 hood of Holocaust denial and to the destructive 

7 messages of hate that arise from Holocaust de8 nial; and 

9 ‘‘(2) to provide resources and support for edu10 cational programs that— 

11 ‘‘(A) portray accurate historical informa12 tion about the Holocaust; 

13 ‘‘(B) sensitize communities to the cir14 cumstances that gave rise to the Holocaust; 

15 ‘‘(C) convey the lessons that the Holocaust 

16 provides for all people; and 

17 ‘‘(D) develop curriculum guides and pro18 vide training to help teachers incorporate the 

19 study of the Holocaust and its lessons into 

20 mainstream disciplines. 

21 ‘‘SEC. 4132. PROGRAM AUTHORIZED. 

22 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—From funds made available 

23 under subsection (c), the Secretary is authorized to award 

24 grants to educational organizations to carry out proposed 

25 or existing Holocaust educational programs. 


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1 ‘‘(b) CONTRACT WITH NONPROFIT.—The Secretary 

2 is authorized to enter into a contract with a nonprofit or3 ganization exempt from taxation under section 501(c)(3) 

4 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 under which the 

5 organization will encourage, accept, and administer vol6 untary private donations and gifts of money from individ7 uals, corporations, foundations and other donors for the 

8 purpose of funding the activities under this subpart. A do9 nation may not be accepted in exchange for a commitment 

10 to the donor on the part of the Secretary or which attaches 

11 conditions inconsistent with applicable laws and regula12 tions or that is conditioned upon or will require the ex13 penditure of appropriated funds that are not available to 

14 the Department, or which compromises a criminal or civil 

15 position of the United States or any of its departments 

16 or agencies or the administrative authority of any agency 

17 of the United States. The Secretary shall ensure that such 

18 contract contains provisions setting forth the criteria to 

19 be used in determining whether the solicitation or accept20 ance of a donation is prohibited because the donation 

21 would reflect unfavorably upon the ability of the Depart22 ment, or any official or employee of the Department, to 

23 carry out its responsibilities or official duties in a fair and 

24 objective manner, or would compromise the integrity or 


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1 the appearance of the integrity of its programs or any offi2 cial or employee involved in those programs. 

3 ‘‘(c) USE OF FUNDS.—The Secretary is authorized 

4 to accept donations of money from the nonprofit described 

5 in subsection (b). Such funds shall be deposited in a spe6 cial fund established in the Treasury of the United States 

7 titled ‘Holocaust Education Assistance Program Account’ 

8 and shall remain available to the Secretary until expended, 

9 to the extent provided in advance in appropriations Acts, 

10 to carry out this subpart. 

11 ‘‘SEC. 4133. APPLICATION. 

12 ‘‘The Secretary may award a grant under this sub13 part only to an educational organization that has sub14 mitted an application to the Secretary at such time, in 

15 such manner, and containing such information as the Sec16 retary may require. 

17 ‘‘SEC. 4134. USE OF GRANTS. 

18 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—An educational organization re19 ceiving a grant under this subpart may use the grant only 

20 to carry out the Holocaust education program for which 

21 the grant was provided. 

22 ‘‘(b) REQUIREMENTS.—An educational organization 

23 receiving a grant under this subpart shall comply with the 

24 following requirements: 


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1 ‘‘(1) CONTINUATION OF ELIGIBILITY.—The 

2 educational organization shall, throughout the period 

3 that the educational organization receives and uses 

4 the grant, continue to be an educational organiza5 tion. 

6 ‘‘(2) SUPPLEMENTATION OF EXISTING

7 FUNDS.—The educational organization shall ensure 

8 that the grant is used to supplement, and not sup9 plant, non-Federal funds that would otherwise be 

10 available to the educational organization to carry out 

11 the Holocaust education program for which the 

12 grant was provided. 

13 ‘‘(c) ADDITIONAL CONDITIONS.—The Secretary may 

14 require additional terms and conditions in connection with 

15 the use of grants provided under this subpart as the Sec16 retary considers appropriate. 

17 ‘‘(d) COOPERATIVE ARRANGEMENTS.—The Secretary 

18 should encourage educational organizations to work coop19 eratively with State educational agencies or local edu20 cational agencies in applying for and using grants under 

21 this subpart. 

22 ‘‘SEC. 4135. SELECTION CRITERIA. 

23 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall award 

24 grants under this subpart in accordance with competitive 

25 criteria to be established by the Secretary. 


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1 ‘‘(b) CONSULTATION WITH HOLOCAUST EDU2 CATORS.—In establishing the competitive criteria under 

3 subsection (a), the Secretary shall consult with a number 

4 of prominent educators in the field of Holocaust edu5 cation, to be determined by the Secretary. 

6 ‘‘SEC. 4136. REVIEW AND SANCTIONS. 

7 ‘‘(a) ANNUAL REVIEW.—The Secretary shall review 

8 at least annually each educational organization receiving 

9 a grant under this subpart to determine the extent to 

10 which the educational organization has complied with the 

11 provisions of this subpart and the regulations issued under 

12 this subpart. 

13 ‘‘(b) IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS.—The Secretary 

14 may impose one or more sanctions, to be determined by 

15 the Secretary, on an educational organization for the fail16 ure of the educational organization to comply substantially 

17 with the provisions of this subpart or the regulations 

18 issued under this subpart. 

19 ‘‘SEC. 4137. ANNUAL REPORT. 

20 ‘‘Not later than February 1 of each year, the Sec21 retary shall submit to the Congress a report describing 

22 the activities carried out under this subpart and con23 taining any related information that the Secretary con24 siders appropriate. 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 4138. DEFINITIONS. 

2 ‘‘In this subpart: 

3 ‘‘(1) EDUCATIONAL ORGANIZATION.—The term 

4 ‘educational organization’ means an entity— 

5 ‘‘(A) described in section 501(c)(3) of the 

6 Internal Revenue Code of 1986; 

7 ‘‘(B) exempt from tax under section 

8 501(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986; 

9 and 

10 ‘‘(C) organized and operated for cultural, 

11 literary, or educational purposes. 

12 ‘‘(2) HOLOCAUST EDUCATION PROGRAM.—The 

13 term ‘Holocaust education program’ means a pro14 gram that— 

15 ‘‘(A) has as its specific and primary pur16 pose to improve awareness and understanding 

17 of the Holocaust; and 

18 ‘‘(B) to achieve such purpose, furnishes 

19 one or more of the following: 

20 ‘‘(i) Educational materials. 

21 ‘‘(ii) Student and school-based activi22 ties, including field trips. 

23 ‘‘(iii) Teacher training. 

24 ‘‘(iv) Any other good or service de25 signed to improve awareness and under26 standing of the Holocaust. 


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1 ‘‘(3) HOLOCAUST.—The term ‘Holocaust’ 

2 means the systemic, state-sponsored, mass murders 

3 by Nazi Germany of 6,000,000 Jews, and millions of 

4 others, in the name of racial purity. 

5 ‘‘SEC. 4139. REGULATIONS. 

6 ‘‘The Secretary shall issue any regulations necessary 

7 to carry out this subpart.’’. 

8 SEC. 3. CLERICAL AMENDMENT. 

9 The table of contents of the Elementary and Sec10 ondary Education Act of 1965 is amended by adding after 

11 the item relating to section 4121 the following: 

‘‘Subpart 3—Holocaust Education Assistance Program 

‘‘Sec. 4131. Findings and purposes. 

‘‘Sec. 4132. Program authorized. 

‘‘Sec. 4133. Application. 

‘‘Sec. 4134. Use of grants. 

‘‘Sec. 4135. Selection criteria. 

‘‘Sec. 4136. Review and sanctions. 

‘‘Sec. 4137. Annual report. 

‘‘Sec. 4138. Definitions. 

‘‘Sec. 4139. Regulations.’’. 

Æ 


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