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[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3701 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3701

   To establish the More Books for Africa Program to facilitate the 
 donation, processing, shipping, and distribution of text and library 
   books to African schools, libraries, community centers, and other 
 centers of learning in partnership with United States-based entities, 
                        and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 1, 2009

 Ms. McCollum introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                      Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
   To establish the More Books for Africa Program to facilitate the 
 donation, processing, shipping, and distribution of text and library 
   books to African schools, libraries, community centers, and other 
 centers of learning in partnership with United States-based entities, 
                        and for other purposes.

    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 ``More Books for Africa Act of 2009''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) The World Bank and other donor organizations have 
        determined that next to a good teacher, a good school book is 
        the best and most cost-effective means of advancing education 
        in African schools.
            (2) The World Bank and other organizations have determined 
        that there is a chronic shortage of text and library books in 
        schools and libraries across Africa, with students left without 
        books or forced to share books at a ratio of 10:1.
            (3) The countries of Africa have the world's lowest 
        literacy rates, undermining development and weakening citizens' 
        power to effect socioeconomic and political change.
            (4) Both the Millennium Development Goals and the Education 
        For All initiatives target increased literacy rates by 2015, 
        especially among women and girls, as a key development goal in 
        Africa and the developing world.
            (5) Most African children who attend school have never 
        owned a book of their own. In many classrooms, 10-20 students 
        share one textbook.
            (6) Every year of education has been shown to raise a 
        person's income potential by at least 10 percent.
            (7) In sub-Saharan Africa, 43.5 percent of the total 
        population is under 14 years old.
            (8) Books and labor to pack these books are currently being 
        donated by citizens across the United States to assist in 
        literacy efforts in Africa.
            (9) 22,000 books can be shipped in one cargo container and 
        delivered to Africa for an average cost of $11,000.
            (10) Not-for-profit organizations, through the use of 
        donated books and labor from United States citizens, as well as 
        cash donations, have been able to ship a donated book to Africa 
        for only 50 cents per book, resulting in tremendous cost-
        efficiency in a time of budget challenges.

SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    It is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) the availability of textbooks and library books is a 
        critical component of the massive investment by the United 
        States in primary, secondary, higher, and adult community 
        education; and
            (2) the donation of textbooks and library books is a 
        powerful tool of public diplomacy and important to United 
        States national security.

SEC. 4. MORE BOOKS FOR AFRICA PROGRAM.

    (a) Establishment and Purpose.--The Administrator of the United 
States Agency for International Development (USAID), in consultation 
with the Basic Education Program administered by USAID, shall establish 
and administer a program to be known as the ``More Books for Africa 
Program'' (in this Act referred to as the ``Program'') to facilitate 
the donation, processing, shipping, and distribution of not fewer than 
3,000,000 text and library books per year to African schools, 
libraries, community centers, and other centers of learning in 
partnership with United States-based entities.
    (b) Donations.--
            (1) In general.--All text and library books sent to Africa 
        through the Program may come only from unrestricted donations 
        from citizens, not-for-profits, educational institutions, 
        libraries, and private companies.
            (A) Initiative.--The Program shall focus on the donation 
        and distribution of text and library books pertaining to law 
        and democracy, health and medicine, science and math, and other 
        pertinent subject specific areas.
    (c) Quality of Books.--Donated text and library books shall be 
evaluated based on--
            (1) presence of an attached cover and all pages relevant to 
        the subject matter of such books;
            (2) condition of book cover and pages, such that the cover 
        and all pages shall have no major rips or stains; and
            (3) legibility of text, such that all text should be 
        legible.
    (d) United States-based Partnerships.--
            (1) In general.--The Program shall encourage partnerships 
        with faith-based organizations, community organizations, K-12 
        educational institutions, and private companies in the United 
        States for the purpose of leveraging funds and collecting 
        donated text and library books.
            (2) Donation and shipment.--The Program shall help United 
        States entities referred to in paragraph (1) sponsor the 
        donation and shipment of text and library books to communities 
        in Africa and foster cross-cultural relations between such 
        communities.
            (3) Volunteers.--The Program shall leverage the work of 
        volunteers in the collection of donated text and library books 
        and the preparation of such book shipments.
    (e) Africa-based Partnerships.--
            (1) Ministries of education.--The Program shall encourage 
        partnerships with African ministries of education (or similar) 
        to aid in the identification and distribution of text and 
        library books to communities in need.
            (2) United states ambassadors.--The Program shall encourage 
        United States Ambassadors to African countries to make the 
        establishment of libraries and donations of text and library 
        books to schools on behalf of the United States a priority in 
        their work and in the use of the Ambassador's Special Self-Help 
        Program.
            (3) Peace corps.--The Program shall leverage the work in 
        Africa of the Peace Corps and its volunteers in the 
        distribution of text and library books to communities in 
        Africa.
            (4) Nongovernmental organizations.--The Program shall 
        encourage partnerships with local African nongovernmental 
        organizations and community organizations to aid in the 
        distribution of text and library books.
            (5) Literacy organizations.--The Program shall encourage 
        collaboration with African literacy organizations to provide 
        training of librarians and teachers in text and library book 
        use, distribution of such books to in-country locations, and 
        clearance of such book containers from port locations.
    (f) Authorized Activities.--
            (1) In general.--Amounts appropriated pursuant to the 
        authorization of appropriations in section 6 may be used to 
        cover the following costs associated with the Program:
                    (A) Collection and processing of donated text and 
                library books.
                    (B) Shipping such books to Africa.
                    (C) Distribution of such books.
                    (D) Establishing partnerships in accordance with 
                subsections (d) and (e).
            (2) Prohibitions.--
                    (A) Purchase and development.--Amounts authorized 
                to be appropriated pursuant to section 6 to carry out 
                the Program may not be used for the purchase or 
                development of text and library books under the 
                Program.
                    (B) Amounts.--The cost for collecting, processing, 
                shipping, and distributing text and library books under 
                the Program may not exceed $750 per 1,000 books.
    (g) Monitoring and Evaluation.--
            (1) Safeguards.--The Administrator of USAID shall establish 
        safeguards to ensure that text and library books donated under 
        the Program are not resold on the African market.
            (2) Report.--Not later than one year after the date of the 
        enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit to 
        Congress a report on the Program . The report shall describe--
                    (A) the number of text and library books donated 
                under the Program;
                    (B) the use of text and library books donated under 
                the Program;
                    (C) the entities receiving text and library books 
                donated under the Program, including end recipients and 
                any intermediary entities involved in such book 
                distribution within African countries; and
                    (D) the participation of the Ambassador's Special 
                Self-Help Program, including a list of participating 
                USAID missions.
    (h) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to the Administrator of USAID $3,000,000 for each of 
fiscal years 2010 through 2014 for purposes of establishing and 
implementing the Program.
                                 <all>
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