II

106TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION S. 1944

To provide national challenge grants for innovation in the education of

homeless children and youth.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

NOVEMBER 17, 1999

Mrs. MURRAY introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred

to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

A BILL

To provide national challenge grants for innovation in the

education of homeless children and youth.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

3 SECTION 1. AMENDMENT TO THE STEWART B. MCKINNEY

4 HOMELESS ASSISTANCE ACT.

5 Subtitle B of title VII of the Stewart B. McKinney

6 Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11431 et seq.) is

7 amended by inserting after section 724 the following:
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1 ‘‘SEC. 724A. NATIONAL CHALLENGE GRANTS FOR INNOVA2 TION IN THE EDUCATION OF HOMELESS

3 CHILDREN AND YOUTH.

4 ‘‘(a) GRANTS AUTHORIZED.—

5 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—From amounts appro6 priated under section 726 for any fiscal year the

7 Secretary is authorized to award grants, on a com8 petitive basis, to local educational agencies or con9 sortia of local educational agencies having applica10 tions approved under subsection (d).

11 ‘‘(2) CONSORTIA.—A consortium of local edu12 cational agencies shall be eligible for a grant under

13 paragraph (1) only if the consortium includes at

14 least one local educational agency that receives

15 funds under this Act.

16 ‘‘(3) DURATION.—Grants under this section

17 shall be awarded for a period of 2 years.

18 ‘‘(b) USE OF GRANTS.—Grants awarded under this

19 section shall be used for activities similar to the authorized

20 activities described in section 723(d).

21 ‘‘(c) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants under this sec22 tion the Secretary shall give priority to a local educational

23 agency or consortium that demonstrates in the application

24 submitted under subsection (d) that—

25 ‘‘(1) the project for which assistance is sought

26 will address—
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1 ‘‘(A) providing transportation and other

2 strategies for reducing homeless student mobil3 ity;

4 ‘‘(B) identifying and serving unaccom5 panied homeless children and youth; or

6 ‘‘(C) identifying and serving homeless pre7 schoolers;

8 ‘‘(2) the project for which assistance is sought

9 will be carried out by a local educational agency or

10 consortium that can demonstrate experience in one

11 or more of the activities described in paragraph (1);

12 and

13 ‘‘(3) the local educational agency, a member of

14 the consortium, or another appropriate entity will

15 contribute substantial financial and other resources

16 to achieve the goals of the project.

17 ‘‘(d) APPLICATION.—Each local educational agency

18 or consortium desiring a grant under this section shall

19 submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in

20 such manner, and accompanied by such information as the

21 Secretary may reasonably require.

22 ‘‘(e) EVALUATION AND DISSEMINATION.—The Sec23 retary shall evaluate grants awarded under this section,

24 and disseminate information regarding the grants to other
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1 local educational agencies serving homeless children and

2 youth.’’.

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