I 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2545 

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 

MAY 21, 2015 

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York (for herself, Mr. BRENDAN F. 

BOYLE of Pennsylvania, and Mr. KING 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 D of title V of the Elementary and Secondary 

8 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7241 et seq.) is amend9 ed by adding at the end the following new subpart: 


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1 ‘‘Subpart 22—Holocaust Education Assistance 

2 Program 

3 ‘‘SEC. 5631. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES. 

4 ‘‘(a) FINDINGS.—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) Six States (California, Florida, Illinois, In10 diana, New Jersey, and New York) now mandate 

11 that the Holocaust be taught in the educational cur12 riculum, and 11 States (Alabama, Connecticut, 

13 Georgia, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, North Caro14 lina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Washington, and 

15 West Virginia) recommend teaching the Holocaust 

16 but the funds necessary to carry out those rec17 ommendations may not be available. 

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

19 subject to teach effectively, and educators need ap20 propriate teaching tools and training to increase 

21 their knowledge of the Holocaust and enhance the 

22 educational experience. 

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

24 this subpart— 

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

26 so that they— 


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1 ‘‘(A) may explore the lessons that the Hol2 ocaust provides for all people; and 

3 ‘‘(B) may be less susceptible to the false4 hood of Holocaust denial and to the destructive 

5 messages of hate that arise from Holocaust de6 nial; and 

7 ‘‘(2) to provide resources and support for edu8 cational programs that— 

9 ‘‘(A) portray accurate historical informa10 tion about the Holocaust; 

11 ‘‘(B) sensitize communities to the cir12 cumstances that gave rise to the Holocaust; 

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

14 provides for all people; and 

15 ‘‘(D) develop curriculum guides and pro16 vide training to help teachers incorporate the 

17 study of the Holocaust and its lessons into 

18 mainstream disciplines. 

19 ‘‘SEC. 5632. PROGRAM AUTHORIZED. 

20 ‘‘The Secretary is authorized to award grants to edu21 cational organizations to carry out proposed or existing 

22 Holocaust educational programs. 

23 ‘‘SEC. 5633. APPLICATION. 

24 ‘‘The Secretary may award a grant under this sub25 part only to an educational organization that has subVerDate Sep 11 2014 07:17 May 28, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2545.IH H2545

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1 mitted an application to the Secretary at such time, in 

2 such manner, and containing such information as the Sec3 retary may require. 

4 ‘‘SEC. 5634. USE OF GRANTS. 

5 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—An educational organization re6 ceiving a grant under this subpart may use the grant only 

7 to carry out the Holocaust education program for which 

8 the grant was provided. 

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

10 receiving a grant under this subpart shall comply with the 

11 following requirements: 

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

13 educational organization shall, throughout the period 

14 that the educational organization receives and uses 

15 the grant, continue to be an educational organiza16 tion. 

17 ‘‘(2) SUPPLEMENTATION OF EXISTING

18 FUNDS.—The educational organization shall ensure 

19 that the grant is used to supplement, and not sup20 plant, non-Federal funds that would otherwise be 

21 available to the educational organization to carry out 

22 the Holocaust education program for which the 

23 grant was provided. 

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

25 require additional terms and conditions in connection with 


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1 the use of grants provided under this subpart as the Sec2 retary considers appropriate. 

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

4 should encourage educational organizations to work coop5 eratively with State educational agencies or local edu6 cational agencies in applying for and using grants under 

7 this subpart. 

8 ‘‘SEC. 5635. SELECTION CRITERIA. 

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

10 grants under this subpart in accordance with competitive 

11 criteria to be established by the Secretary. 

12 ‘‘(b) CONSULTATION WITH HOLOCAUST EDU13 CATORS.—In establishing the competitive criteria under 

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

15 of prominent educators in the field of Holocaust edu16 cation, to be determined by the Secretary. 

17 ‘‘SEC. 5636. REVIEW AND SANCTIONS. 

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

19 at least annually each educational organization receiving 

20 a grant under this subpart to determine the extent to 

21 which the educational organization has complied with the 

22 provisions of this subpart and the regulations issued under 

23 this subpart. 

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

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


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1 the Secretary, on an educational organization for the fail2 ure of the educational organization to comply substantially 

3 with the provisions of this subpart or the regulations 

4 issued under this subpart. 

5 ‘‘SEC. 5637. ANNUAL REPORT. 

6 ‘‘Not later than February 1 of each year, the Sec7 retary shall submit to the Congress a report describing 

8 the activities carried out under this subpart and con9 taining any related information that the Secretary con10 siders appropriate. 

11 ‘‘SEC. 5638. DEFINITIONS. 

12 ‘‘In this subpart: 

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

14 ‘educational organization’ means an entity— 

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

16 Internal Revenue Code of 1986; 

17 ‘‘(B) exempt from tax under section 

18 501(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986; 

19 and 

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

21 literary, or educational purposes. 

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

23 term ‘Holocaust education program’ means a pro24 gram that— 


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1 ‘‘(A) has as its specific and primary pur2 pose to improve awareness and understanding 

3 of the Holocaust; and 

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

5 one or more of the following: 

6 ‘‘(i) Educational materials. 

7 ‘‘(ii) Student and school-based activi8 ties, including field trips. 

9 ‘‘(iii) Teacher training. 

10 ‘‘(iv) Any other good or service de11 signed to improve awareness and under12 standing of the Holocaust. 

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

14 means the systemic, state-sponsored, mass murders 

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

16 others, in the name of racial purity. 

17 ‘‘SEC. 5639. REGULATIONS. 

18 ‘‘The Secretary shall issue any regulations necessary 

19 to carry out this subpart. 

20 ‘‘SEC. 5640. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

21 ‘‘There is authorized to be appropriated to the Sec22 retary for the first fiscal year beginning on or after the 

23 date of enactment of this subpart, and for each of the four 

24 succeeding fiscal years, $2,000,000 for grants under this 


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1 subpart. Amounts appropriated pursuant to this subpart 

2 shall remain available until expended.’’. 

3 SEC. 3. CLERICAL AMENDMENT. 

4 The table of contents of the Elementary and Sec5 ondary Education Act of 1965 is amended by adding after 

6 the item relating to section 5618 the following: 

‘‘Subpart 22—Holocaust Education Assistance Program 

‘‘Sec. 5631. Findings and purposes. 

‘‘Sec. 5632. Program authorized. 

‘‘Sec. 5633. Application. 

‘‘Sec. 5634. Use of grants. 

‘‘Sec. 5635. Selection criteria. 

‘‘Sec. 5636. Review and sanctions. 

‘‘Sec. 5637. Annual report. 

‘‘Sec. 5638. Definitions. 

‘‘Sec. 5439. Regulations. 

‘‘Sec. 5640. Authorization of appropriations.’’. 

Æ 


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