II 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1239 

To promote environmental literacy. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

APRIL 20, 2023 

Mr. REED (for himself, Ms. COLLINS, and Mr. MERKLEY) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 

Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 

A BILL 

To promote environmental literacy. 

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 ‘‘No Child Left Inside 

5 Act of 2023’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 

8 (1) Hands-on experiences in nature help build 

9 stronger, smarter, and happier children. 

10 (2) Children and young adults are increasingly 

11 disconnected from the natural world around them, 


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1 spending less time outside playing, exploring, and 

2 learning. 

3 (3) Quality education for students includes reg4 ular opportunities to make connections outside of 

5 the classroom. 

6 (4) Environmental education, when integrated 

7 across the curriculum, has positive impacts on the 

8 development of important skills, such as critical 

9 thinking, problem solving, and citizenship and lead10 ership skills. 

11 (5) Every student should have the opportunity 

12 to participate in residential outdoor education pro13 grams or comparable outdoor education programs. 

14 (6) Outdoor and environmental education pro15 grams have been shown to build critical thinking 

16 skills and leadership skills, and can improve student 

17 attendance and retention rates. 

18 (7) Colleges, universities, and higher education 

19 associations play a critical role in cultivating the 

20 next generation of scientists, engineers, educators, 

21 planners, and business leaders for 21st century ca22 reers in the public and private sectors. 

23 (8) Environmental education, as part of the for24 mal prekindergarten through grade 12 school cur25 riculum, has positive impacts on student achieveVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:18 Apr 23, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1239.IS S1239

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1 ment in all subjects, and especially in science, read2 ing, mathematics, and social studies, and improves 

3 critical thinking skills, enthusiasm for learning, 

4 stewardship, and healthy lifestyles. 

5 (9) The Partnership for 21st Century Learning 

6 identified environmental literacy as one of the key 

7 interdisciplinary themes critical to helping students 

8 to acquire the skills, knowledge, and expertise nec9 essary to succeed in work and life. 

10 (10) The Programme for International Student 

11 Assessment (PISA) rankings find that the United 

12 States is falling behind other nations in preparing 

13 students with the educational tools necessary to 

14 compete for the growing opportunities in the 

15 sciences, including careers related to the environ16 ment, natural resources, and energy. 

17 (11) Forty-six States have developed, or are in 

18 the process of developing, environmental literacy 

19 plans to effectively integrate environmental edu20 cation into the prekindergarten through grade 12 

21 curriculum and to ensure that students graduate 

22 from high school environmentally literate. 

23 (12) Support from the Department of Edu24 cation is needed to help State and local educational 

25 agencies, and the partners of such agencies, impleVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:18 Apr 23, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1239.IS S1239

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1 ment environmental literacy plans and advance State 

2 curriculum frameworks for environmental and nat3 ural resource education that meets new State aca4 demic content and student achievement standards. 

5 (13) Federal science agencies, natural resource 

6 agencies, and other agencies have important re7 sources, including Federal lands and laboratories, 

8 content experts, data, and programs, that can in9 form and support State and local environmental lit10 eracy policies and programming. 

11 SEC. 3. ENVIRONMENTAL LITERACY. 

12 Title IV (20 U.S.C. 7101 et seq.) of the Elementary 

13 and Secondary Education Act of 1965 is amended by add14 ing at the end the following: 

15 ‘‘PART G—ENVIRONMENTAL LITERACY 

16 ‘‘SEC. 4701. DEFINITIONS. 

17 ‘‘In this part: 

18 ‘‘(1) ELIGIBLE PARTNERSHIP.—The term ‘eligi19 ble partnership’ means a partnership that includes a 

20 local educational agency and not less than 1 of the 

21 following partners: 

22 ‘‘(A) A Federal, State, regional, or local 

23 environmental or natural resource management 

24 agency, or parks and recreation department, 

25 that has demonstrated effectiveness, expertise, 


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1 and experience in the field of environmental lit2 eracy, including the professional development of 

3 teachers. 

4 ‘‘(B) A nonprofit organization that has 

5 demonstrated effectiveness, expertise, and expe6 rience in the field of environmental literacy, in7 cluding the professional development of teach8 ers, such as— 

9 ‘‘(i) museums, as defined in section 

10 273 of the Museum and Library Services 

11 Act (20 U.S.C. 9172); 

12 ‘‘(ii) a teacher preparation program at 

13 an institution of higher education; 

14 ‘‘(iii) the environmental or life 

15 sciences department of an institution of 

16 higher education; 

17 ‘‘(iv) another local educational agency, 

18 a public charter school, a public elemen19 tary school or secondary school, or a con20 sortium of such schools; 

21 ‘‘(v) nature centers; or 

22 ‘‘(vi) organizations with environmental 

23 education programming. 

24 ‘‘(2) ENVIRONMENTAL LITERACY.—The term 

25 ‘environmental literacy’ means— 


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1 ‘‘(A) a fundamental understanding of eco2 logical principles, the systems of the natural 

3 world, the relationships and interactions be4 tween natural and man-made environments, 

5 and the skills to apply such understanding in 

6 real-world settings; and 

7 ‘‘(B) having the ability, both individually 

8 and together with others, to make informed de9 cisions concerning the environment, having the 

10 will to act on those decisions to improve the 

11 well-being of other individuals, societies, and 

12 the global environment, and participating in 

13 civic life. 

14 ‘‘(3) ENVIRONMENTAL LITERACY PLAN.—The 

15 term ‘environmental literacy plan’ means a plan de16 veloped, approved, or sponsored by a State edu17 cational agency in consultation with State environ18 mental agencies, State environmental education as19 sociations, and State natural resource agencies, and 

20 with input from the public, that— 

21 ‘‘(A) prepares students to understand eco22 logical principles, the systems of the natural 

23 world, and the relationships and interactions 

24 between natural and man-made environments, 


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1 and to apply such knowledge in real-world set2 tings; 

3 ‘‘(B) provides field and hands-on experi4 ences as part of the regular school curriculum 

5 and creates programs that contribute to healthy 

6 lifestyles through outdoor recreation and sound 

7 nutrition; 

8 ‘‘(C) provides environmental service learn9 ing opportunities; 

10 ‘‘(D) provides targeted professional devel11 opment opportunities for teachers that im12 prove— 

13 ‘‘(i) environmental and natural re14 source content knowledge of teachers; 

15 ‘‘(ii) pedagogical skills in teaching 

16 about the environment, including the use 

17 of— 

18 ‘‘(I) interdisciplinary, field-based, 

19 and research-based learning; and 

20 ‘‘(II) science, technology, engi21 neering, and mathematics content 

22 knowledge and tools; and 

23 ‘‘(iii) the ability and confidence to use 

24 school buildings and grounds as a context 

25 for learning; 


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1 ‘‘(E) describes the measures the State will 

2 use to assess the environmental literacy of stu3 dents, including— 

4 ‘‘(i) relevant State academic content 

5 standards and content areas regarding en6 vironmental education, and courses or sub7 jects where environmental education in8 struction will be integrated throughout the 

9 prekindergarten through grade 12 cur10 riculum; and 

11 ‘‘(ii) a description of the relationship 

12 of the plan to the secondary school gradua13 tion requirements of the State; 

14 ‘‘(F) describes the outdoor learning spaces 

15 the State makes available to local educational 

16 agencies; 

17 ‘‘(G) describes how the State educational 

18 agency will implement the plan, in partnership 

19 with nongovernmental organizations, Federal 

20 agencies, State environmental agencies, State 

21 environmental education associations, State 

22 natural resource agencies, and local educational 

23 agencies, including how the State educational 

24 agency will secure funding and other necessary 

25 support; 


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1 ‘‘(H) is periodically updated by the State 

2 educational agency not less often than every 5 

3 years; 

4 ‘‘(I) utilizes school buildings and grounds 

5 as a context for learning; 

6 ‘‘(J) describes teacher professional develop7 ment needs; and 

8 ‘‘(K) develops and describes a plan to 

9 adopt best management practices for early 

10 childhood environmental education, including 

11 guidelines for time outdoors, outdoor space de12 sign, and learning context. 

13 ‘‘(4) HIGH-NEED LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGEN14 CY.—The term ‘high-need local educational agency’ 

15 means a local educational agency— 

16 ‘‘(A) with respect to which not less than 

17 20 percent of the children served by the agency 

18 are children from low-income families; 

19 ‘‘(B) that serves not fewer than 10,000 

20 children from low-income families; 

21 ‘‘(C) that meets the eligibility requirements 

22 for funding under section 5211(b); or 

23 ‘‘(D) that meets the eligibility require24 ments for funding under section 5221(b). 


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1 ‘‘(5) HIGH-NEED SCHOOL.—The term ‘high2 need school’ means a public elementary school or 

3 secondary school that is located in an area in which 

4 the percentage of students from families with in5 comes below the poverty line is 30 percent or more. 

6 ‘‘(6) OUTDOOR SCHOOL EDUCATION PRO7 GRAM.—The term ‘outdoor school education pro8 gram’ means a multi-day educational program that 

9 delivers outdoor hands-on learning experiences, and 

10 that— 

11 ‘‘(A) addresses community needs and con12 texts; 

13 ‘‘(B) takes place in a residential or day 

14 program setting; 

15 ‘‘(C) provides field study opportunities for 

16 students; 

17 ‘‘(D) is integrated with local school cur18 ricula and support students in meeting State 

19 standards; and 

20 ‘‘(E) provides students with opportunities 

21 to develop leadership, critical thinking, and 

22 problem-solving skills. 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 4702. GRANTS FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF ENVIRON2 MENTAL LITERACY PLANS. 

3 ‘‘(a) PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.—From amounts ap4 propriated to carry out this section, the Secretary shall 

5 award grants to States to enable the States to award sub6 grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible partnerships to 

7 support the implementation of the State environmental lit8 eracy plan. 

9 ‘‘(b) APPLICATION.— 

10 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A State that desires a 

11 grant under this section shall submit an application 

12 to the Secretary, at such time, in such manner, and 

13 containing such information as the Secretary may 

14 require. 

15 ‘‘(2) CONTENTS.—Each application under this 

16 subsection shall— 

17 ‘‘(A) include the State’s environmental lit18 eracy plan and information on the status of im19 plementation of such plan; 

20 ‘‘(B) describe how funds received under 

21 this section will assist the State in furthering 

22 the implementation of the State’s environmental 

23 literacy plan; 

24 ‘‘(C) describe the process the State will use 

25 to make subgrants to eligible partnerships; and 


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1 ‘‘(D) describe the process the State will 

2 use to evaluate the impact of the activities as3 sisted under this section. 

4 ‘‘(c) PEER REVIEW.—The Secretary shall— 

5 ‘‘(1) establish a peer review process to assist in 

6 the review of grant applications under this section; 

7 ‘‘(2) appoint individuals to the peer review 

8 process who— 

9 ‘‘(A) are representative of parents, teach10 ers, State educational agencies, State environ11 mental agencies, State natural resource agen12 cies, local educational agencies, and nongovern13 mental organizations; and 

14 ‘‘(B) are familiar with national environ15 mental issues and the health and educational 

16 needs of students; and 

17 ‘‘(3) include, in the peer review process, appro18 priate representatives from the Department of Com19 merce, the Department of the Interior, the Depart20 ment of Energy, the Environmental Protection 

21 Agency, and other appropriate Federal agencies, to 

22 provide environmental expertise and background for 

23 evaluation of the State environmental literacy plan. 


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1 ‘‘(d) ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES.—A State receiv2 ing a grant under this section may use not more than 2.5 

3 percent of the grant funds for administrative expenses. 

4 ‘‘(e) STATE EDUCATIONAL AGENCY REPORT.— 

5 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Each State receiving a 

6 grant under this section shall prepare and submit an 

7 annual report to the Secretary containing informa8 tion about— 

9 ‘‘(A) the implementation of the environ10 mental literacy plan; and 

11 ‘‘(B) the grant activities supported under 

12 this section. 

13 ‘‘(2) REPORT REQUIREMENTS.—The report re14 quired by this section shall be— 

15 ‘‘(A) in the form specified by the Sec16 retary; 

17 ‘‘(B) based on the State’s ongoing evalua18 tion activities; and 

19 ‘‘(C) made readily available to the public. 

20 ‘‘(f) SUBGRANTS AUTHORIZED.— 

21 ‘‘(1) SUBGRANTS TO ELIGIBLE PARTNER22 SHIPS.—From amounts made available to a State 

23 educational agency under subsection (a), the State 

24 educational agency shall award subgrants, on a com25 petitive basis, to eligible partnerships serving the 


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1 State, to enable the eligible partnerships to carry out 

2 the authorized activities described in subsection (h). 

3 ‘‘(2) DURATION.—The State educational agency 

4 shall award each subgrant under this section for a 

5 period of not more than 3 years. 

6 ‘‘(3) PRIORITY.—In making subgrants under 

7 this section, a State shall give priority to eligible 

8 partnerships that include a high-need local edu9 cational agency. 

10 ‘‘(4) SUPPLEMENT, NOT SUPPLANT.—Funds 

11 provided to an eligible partnership under this section 

12 shall be used to supplement, and not supplant, funds 

13 that would otherwise be used for activities author14 ized under this section. 

15 ‘‘(g) APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS.— 

16 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Each eligible partnership 

17 desiring a subgrant under this section shall submit 

18 an application to the State educational agency, at 

19 such time, in such manner, and accompanied by 

20 such information as the State educational agency 

21 may require. 

22 ‘‘(2) CONTENTS.—Each application submitted 

23 under paragraph (1) shall include— 


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1 ‘‘(A) a description of teacher professional 

2 development needs with respect to the teaching 

3 and learning of environmental content; 

4 ‘‘(B) a description of how the eligible part5 nership will utilize school facilities and grounds 

6 as tools for teaching and learning of environ7 mental content; 

8 ‘‘(C) an explanation of how the activities to 

9 be carried out by the eligible partnership are 

10 expected to improve student academic achieve11 ment and strengthen the quality of environ12 mental instruction; 

13 ‘‘(D) a description of how the activities to 

14 be carried out by the eligible partnership— 

15 ‘‘(i) will be aligned with challenging 

16 State academic content standards and stu17 dent academic achievement standards 

18 under section 1111(b)(1) in environmental 

19 education, to the extent such standards 

20 exist, and with the State’s environmental 

21 literacy plan; and 

22 ‘‘(ii) will advance the teaching of 

23 interdisciplinary courses that integrate the 

24 study of natural, social, and economic sys25 tems, and that include strong field compoVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:18 Apr 23, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00015 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1239.IS S1239

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1 nents in which students have the oppor2 tunity to directly experience nature 

3 through outdoor environmental learning; 

4 ‘‘(E) a description of how the activities to 

5 be carried out by the eligible partnership will 

6 ensure that teachers are trained in the use of 

7 field-based or service learning to enable the 

8 teachers— 

9 ‘‘(i) to use the local environment and 

10 community as a resource; and 

11 ‘‘(ii) to improve student under12 standing of the environment and increase 

13 academic achievement; 

14 ‘‘(F) a description of— 

15 ‘‘(i) how the eligible partnership will 

16 carry out the authorized activities de17 scribed in subsection (h); and 

18 ‘‘(ii) the eligible partnership’s evalua19 tion and accountability plan described in 

20 subsection (i); and 

21 ‘‘(G) a description of how the eligible part22 nership will continue the activities funded under 

23 this section after the grant period has expired. 

24 ‘‘(h) AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.—An eligible partner25 ship shall use the subgrant funds provided under this secVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:18 Apr 23, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00016 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1239.IS S1239

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1 tion for 1 or more of the following activities related to 

2 elementary schools or secondary schools: 

3 ‘‘(1) Providing targeted, job-embedded profes4 sional development opportunities for teachers that 

5 improve the teachers’ environmental content knowl6 edge and pedagogical skills in teaching about the en7 vironment, including in the use of— 

8 ‘‘(A) interdisciplinary, research-based, and 

9 field-based learning; and 

10 ‘‘(B) technology in the classroom. 

11 ‘‘(2) Establishing and operating environmental 

12 education summer workshops or institutes, including 

13 follow-up professional development for elementary 

14 and secondary school teachers, and preschool teach15 ers, as appropriate, to improve pedagogical skills 

16 and content knowledge for the teaching of environ17 mental education. 

18 ‘‘(3) Developing or redesigning more rigorous 

19 environmental education curricula that— 

20 ‘‘(A) are aligned with challenging State 

21 academic content standards in environmental 

22 education, to the extent such standards exist, 

23 and with the State environmental literacy plan; 

24 and 


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1 ‘‘(B) advance the teaching of interdiscipli2 nary courses that integrate the study of nat3 ural, social, and economic systems and that in4 clude strong field components. 

5 ‘‘(4) Designing programs to prepare teachers at 

6 a school to provide mentoring and professional devel7 opment to other teachers at such school to improve 

8 teacher environmental education content knowledge 

9 and pedagogical skills. 

10 ‘‘(5) Establishing and operating programs to 

11 bring teachers and students into contact with work12 ing professionals in environmental fields to deepen 

13 such teachers’ knowledge of environmental content 

14 and research practices. 

15 ‘‘(6) Creating initiatives that seek to incor16 porate environmental education within teacher train17 ing programs or accreditation standards, consistent 

18 with the State environmental literacy plan. 

19 ‘‘(7) Promoting the integration of outdoor envi20 ronmental education lessons into the regular school 

21 curriculum and schedule in order to further the 

22 knowledge and professional development of teachers 

23 and help students directly experience nature. 

24 ‘‘(8) Creating or improving outdoor learning 

25 spaces on school grounds. 


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1 ‘‘(i) EVALUATION AND ACCOUNTABILITY PLAN.— 

2 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Each eligible partnership 

3 receiving a subgrant under this section shall develop 

4 an evaluation and accountability plan for activities 

5 assisted under this section that includes rigorous ob6 jectives that measure the impact of such activities. 

7 ‘‘(2) CONTENTS.—The plan developed under 

8 paragraph (1) shall include measurable objectives to 

9 increase the number of teachers who participate in 

10 environmental education content-based professional 

11 development activities. 

12 ‘‘(j) REPORT BY ELIGIBLE PARTNERSHIPS.—Each 

13 eligible partnership receiving a subgrant under this section 

14 shall report annually, for each year of the subgrant, to 

15 the State educational agency regarding the eligible part16 nership’s progress in meeting the objectives described in 

17 the accountability plan of the eligible partnership under 

18 subsection (i). 

19 ‘‘(k) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

20 are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 

21 necessary to carry out this section for fiscal year 2024 

22 and each of the 4 succeeding fiscal years. 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 4703. OUTDOOR SCHOOL EDUCATION PILOT PRO2 GRAM. 

3 ‘‘(a) GRANTS AUTHORIZED.—From funds appro4 priated to carry out this section, the Secretary shall make 

5 grants to eligible partnerships to establish or expand out6 door school education programs. 

7 ‘‘(b) APPLICATION.— 

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

9 desires a grant under this section shall submit an 

10 application to the Secretary, at such time, in such 

11 manner, and containing such information as the Sec12 retary may require. 

13 ‘‘(2) CONTENTS.—Each application under this 

14 subsection shall describe the outdoor school edu15 cation program to be carried out and how such pro16 gram will— 

17 ‘‘(A) improve student academic achieve18 ment as defined in the State plan under section 

19 1111(c); 

20 ‘‘(B) promote the development of leader21 ship skills; 

22 ‘‘(C) increase student engagement in edu23 cation; 

24 ‘‘(D) improve critical thinking skills; 

25 ‘‘(E) provide opportunities for civic en26 gagement and service learning; 


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1 ‘‘(F) address inequities of outdoor edu2 cational opportunities for underserved children 

3 in the State; and 

4 ‘‘(G) improve student access to, and suc5 cess in, well-rounded educational experiences. 

6 ‘‘(c) PRIORITY.—The Secretary shall give priority to 

7 applicants that propose to serve high-need schools. 

8 ‘‘(d) GEOGRAPHIC DIVERSITY.—In making awards 

9 under this section, the Secretary shall ensure that grants 

10 are awarded to eligible partnerships serving urban, rural, 

11 and suburban local educational agencies. 

12 ‘‘(e) REQUIRED USES OF FUNDS.—Eligible partner13 ships awarded grants under this section shall use such 

14 funds for outdoor school education programs that— 

15 ‘‘(1) provide a residential, hands-on educational 

16 experience, or an equivalent combination of class17 room-based and outdoor educational experience, that 

18 reflects local community needs and contexts, fea19 turing field study opportunities for students, which 

20 may include learning about— 

21 ‘‘(A) soil, water, plants, and animals; 

22 ‘‘(B) the role of natural resources indus23 tries, including timber, agriculture, fisheries, 

24 and others, in the economy of the State; 


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1 ‘‘(C) the interrelationship of nature, nat2 ural resources, economic development, and ca3 reer opportunities in the State; and 

4 ‘‘(D) the importance of the State’s envi5 ronmental and natural resources; 

6 ‘‘(2) are integrated with local school curricula 

7 in a manner that assists students in meeting State 

8 standards related to science, technology, engineering, 

9 and mathematics, and international standards re10 lated to science; 

11 ‘‘(3) provide students with opportunities to de12 velop leadership, critical thinking, and decision13 making skills; 

14 ‘‘(4) provide students with opportunities to 

15 learn about the interdependence of urban and rural 

16 areas; and 

17 ‘‘(5) provide professional development for edu18 cators to effectively implement outdoor school edu19 cation programs. 

20 ‘‘(f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

21 are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 

22 necessary to carry out this section for fiscal year 2024 

23 and each of the 4 succeeding fiscal years. 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 4704. REPORT TO CONGRESS. 

2 ‘‘Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment 

3 of the No Child Left Inside Act of 2023 and every 2 years 

4 thereafter, the Secretary shall submit a report to Congress 

5 that— 

6 ‘‘(1) describes the programs assisted under this 

7 part; 

8 ‘‘(2) documents the success of such programs in 

9 improving national and State environmental edu10 cation capacity; and 

11 ‘‘(3) makes such recommendations as the Sec12 retary determines appropriate for the continuation 

13 and improvement of the programs assisted under 

14 this part.’’. 

15 SEC. 4. CONFORMING AMENDMENT. 

16 The table of contents in section 2 is amended by in17 serting after the item relating to section 4644 the fol18 lowing: 

‘‘PART G—ENVIRONMENTAL LITERACY

‘‘Sec. 4701. Definitions. 

‘‘Sec. 4702. Grants for implementation of environmental literacy plans. 

‘‘Sec. 4703. Outdoor school education pilot program. 

‘‘Sec. 4704. Report to Congress.’’. 

19 SEC. 5. AVAILABILITY OF OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL LIT20 ERACY INFORMATION. 

21 (a) OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY ENVIRONMENTAL LIT22 ERACY ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS.—The Secretary of Edu23 cation shall request that all Federal agencies provide inVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:18 Apr 23, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00023 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1239.IS S1239

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1 formation on any environmental literacy assistance pro2 gram operated, sponsored, or supported by such Federal 

3 agency, including information about the application proce4 dures, financial terms and conditions, and other relevant 

5 information for each program, and each Federal agency 

6 shall promptly respond to surveys or other requests from 

7 the Secretary of Education for the information described 

8 in this subsection. 

9 (b) PUBLIC INFORMATION.—The Secretary of Edu10 cation shall ensure that not later than 90 days after the 

11 Secretary of Education receives the information required 

12 under subsection (a), the eligibility requirements, applica13 tion procedures, financial terms and conditions, and other 

14 relevant information for each environmental literacy as15 sistance program offered by another Federal agency are 

16 searchable and accessible through the Department of Edu17 cation’s website and cross-referenced with the United 

18 States Green Ribbon School application information, in a 

19 manner that is simple and understandable for local edu20 cational agencies and communities. 

21 SEC. 6. FEDERAL INTERAGENCY COORDINATION ON ENVI22 RONMENTAL LITERACY. 

23 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Education shall 

24 coordinate environmental literacy activities between the 

25 Department of Education, the Department of Agriculture, 


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1 the Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection 

2 Agency, the Department of the Interior, and the Depart3 ment of Commerce, the Department of Health and 

4 Human Services, the National Science Foundation, the In5 stitute of Museum and Library Services, and the National 

6 Aeronautics and Space Administration, including by car7 rying out the activities described in subsection (b). 

8 (b) COORDINATION ACTIVITIES.—In coordinating en9 vironmental literacy activities, the Secretary of Education 

10 shall— 

11 (1) assess Federal environmental education pro12 grams, goals, and budget items across agencies; 

13 (2) assess environment-based science, tech14 nology, engineering, and mathematics achievement 

15 to demonstrate that learning about and in the envi16 ronment is an effective strategy for increasing en17 gagement in learning and academic achievement in 

18 science, technology, engineering, and mathematics 

19 subject areas; and 

20 (3) produce adaptable environmental literacy 

21 plan guidelines and identify coordinated resources 

22 across Federal agencies that States and local edu23 cational agencies can follow as States and local edu24 cational agencies work to develop environmental lit25 eracy plans and programs of their own. 


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1 (c) ADVISORY PANEL.—The Secretary of Education 

2 shall appoint an advisory panel of stakeholders, including 

3 representatives from State educational agencies, local edu4 cational agencies, businesses, and nonprofit organizations 

5 that are engaged in local environmental literacy efforts 

6 representing the geographic, economic, and cultural diver7 sity of the United States, who shall meet quarterly to ad8 vise and support interagency planning and assessment re9 garding environmental literacy activities. 

10 (d) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 1 year 

11 after the date of enactment of this Act, and annually 

12 thereafter, the Secretary of Education, the Administrator 

13 of the Environmental Protection Agency, the Secretary of 

14 the Interior, and the Secretary of Commerce shall prepare 

15 and submit a joint report to Congress containing informa16 tion about the coordination of environmental literacy ac17 tivities between Federal agencies. 

Æ 


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