II 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1790 

To make grants to carry out activities to prevent the incidence of unintended 

pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections among teens in racial 

or ethnic minority or immigrant communities, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 16, 2007 

Mr. OBAMA introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

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

A BILL 

To make grants to carry out activities to prevent the incidence of unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections among teens in racial or ethnic minority 

or immigrant communities, and for other purposes. 

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 ‘‘Communities of Color 

5 Teen Pregnancy Prevention Act of 2007’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress makes the following findings: 


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1 (1) Each year, nearly 750,000 American teens 

2 ages 15 through 19 become pregnant. 

3 (2) In 2002, the pregnancy rate for African 

4 American and Latino teens ages 15 through 19 was 

5 double the rate for white teens (134.2 and 131.5 

6 compared to 65.0). 

7 (3) An estimated 4,883 youth ages 13 through 

8 24 were diagnosed with HIV or AIDS in 2004, rep9 resenting approximately 13 percent of all individuals 

10 given a diagnosis during that year. 

11 (4) African American youth comprised the larg12 est single group of young people affected by HIV, 

13 accounting for 55 percent of all HIV infections 

14 among youth ages 13 through 24 in 2004. 

15 (5) Although African American teens (ages 13 

16 through 19) represent only 16 percent of United 

17 States teens, they accounted for 69 percent of new 

18 AIDS cases reported among teens in 2005. 

19 (6) In 2005, Latino teens, ages 13 through 19, 

20 accounted for 17 percent of AIDS cases among 

21 teens, the same as their proportion of the United 

22 States teenage population that year. Latinos ages 20 

23 through 24 accounted for 22 percent of new AIDS 

24 reported among young adults, but represented 18 

25 percent of United States young adults. 


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1 (7) Recent estimates suggest that while 15- to 

2 24-year olds represent 25 percent of the ever sexu3 ally active population, they acquire nearly one-half of 

4 all new sexually transmitted infections. 

5 (8) In 2005, the gonorrhea rate among African 

6 American teens ages 15 through 19 was 17 times 

7 higher than among white teens of the same age. The 

8 rates of primary and secondary syphilis were 19 

9 times higher among black teens ages 15 through 19 

10 than among their white peers. 

11 (9) In 2005, nearly three-fourths of all reported 

12 cases of gonorrhea occurred among African Amer13 ican teens, for whom the gonorrhea rate was 2,106 

14 per 100,000 population. 

15 SEC. 3. COMMUNITY-BASED AND SCHOOL-BASED INTER16 VENTION PROGRAMS. 

17 (a) COMMUNITY-BASED INTERVENTION PRO18 GRAMS.— 

19 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Health and 

20 Human Services (referred to in this Act as the ‘‘Sec21 retary’’) shall make grants to public and nonprofit 

22 private entities for the purpose of carrying out 

23 projects to prevent teen pregnancies in racial or eth24 nic minority or immigrant communities with a sub25 stantial incidence or prevalence of cases of teen 


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1 pregnancy as compared to the average number of 

2 such cases in communities in the State involved (re3 ferred to in this Act as ‘‘eligible communities’’). 

4 (2) REQUIREMENTS REGARDING PURPOSE OF

5 GRANTS.—A grant may be made under paragraph 

6 (1) only if, with respect to the expenditure of the 

7 grant to carry out the purpose described in such 

8 paragraph, the applicant involved agrees to use one 

9 or more of the following strategies: 

10 (A) Promote effective communication 

11 among families about preventing teen preg12 nancy, particularly communication among par13 ents or guardians and their children. 

14 (B) Educate community members about 

15 the consequences of teen pregnancy. 

16 (C) Encourage young people to postpone 

17 sexual activity and prepare for a healthy, suc18 cessful adulthood, including by teaching them 

19 skills to avoid making or receiving unwanted 

20 verbal, physical, and sexual advances. 

21 (D) Provide information about the health 

22 benefits and side effects of all contraceptives 

23 and barrier methods as a means to prevent 

24 pregnancy and reduce the risk of contracting 


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1 sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/ 

2 AIDS. 

3 (E) Provide educational information, in4 cluding medically accurate information about 

5 the health benefits and side effects of all con6 traceptives and barrier methods, for young peo7 ple in such communities who are already sexu8 ally active or are at risk of becoming sexually 

9 active and inform young people in such commu10 nities about the responsibilities and con11 sequences of being a parent, and how early 

12 pregnancy and parenthood can interfere with 

13 educational and other goals. 

14 (3) UTILIZING EFFECTIVE STRATEGIES.—A 

15 grant may be made under paragraph (1) only if the 

16 applicant involved agrees that, in carrying out the 

17 purpose described in such paragraph, the applicant 

18 will, whenever possible, use strategies that have been 

19 demonstrated to be effective (on the basis of rig20 orous scientific research), or that incorporate char21 acteristics of effective programs. 

22 (b) SCHOOL-BASED PROJECTS.— 

23 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may make 

24 grants to public and nonprofit private entities for 

25 the purpose of establishing and operating for eligible 


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1 communities, in association with public secondary 

2 schools for such communities, projects for one or 

3 more of the following: 

4 (A) To carry out activities, including coun5 seling, to prevent unintended pregnancy and 

6 sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/ 

7 AIDS, among teens. 

8 (B) To provide necessary social and cul9 tural support services regarding teen preg10 nancy. 

11 (C) To provide health and educational 

12 services related to the prevention of unintended 

13 pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, 

14 including HIV/AIDS, among teens. 

15 (D) To promote better health and edu16 cational outcomes among pregnant teens. 

17 (E) To provide training for individuals who 

18 plan to work in school-based support programs 

19 regarding the prevention of unintended preg20 nancy and sexually transmitted infections, in21 cluding HIV/AIDS, among teens. 

22 (2) PRIORITY.—In making grants under para23 graph (1), the Secretary shall give priority to pro24 viding for projects under such paragraph in eligible 

25 communities. 


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1 (3) REQUIRED COALITION.—A grant may be 

2 made under paragraph (1) only if the applicant in3 volved has formed an appropriate coalition of enti4 ties for purposes of carrying out a project under 

5 such paragraph, including— 

6 (A) one or more public secondary schools 

7 for the eligible community involved; and 

8 (B) entities to provide the services of the 

9 project. 

10 (4) TRAINING.—A grant under paragraph (1) 

11 may be expended to train individuals to provide the 

12 services described in subparagraphs (A) and (B) of 

13 such paragraph for the project involved. 

14 (c) REPORTING AND EVALUATION.— 

15 (1) REPORT.—A grant may be made under sub16 section (a) or (b) only if the applicant involved 

17 agrees to submit to the Secretary, in accordance 

18 with the criteria of the Secretary, a report that pro19 vides information on the project under such sub20 section, including project outcomes and increased 

21 education and awareness about the prevention of un22 intended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infec23 tions, including HIV/AIDS, among teens. The Sec24 retary shall make such reports available to the pub25 lic. 


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1 (2) EVALUATIONS.—Not later than 12 months 

2 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec3 retary shall, directly or through contract, provide for 

4 evaluations of at least 10 percent or not less than 

5 6 projects carried out with grants under each of sub6 sections (a) and (b). Each such evaluation shall de7 scribe— 

8 (A) the activities carried out with the 

9 grant; and 

10 (B) the extent to which the activities were 

11 effective in changing attitudes and behavior to 

12 achieve the project strategies consistent with— 

13 (i) subsection (a)(2) for grants under 

14 subsection (a); or 

15 (ii) subsection (b)(1) for grants under 

16 subsection (b). 

17 (d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

18 (1) COMMUNITY-BASED INTERVENTION PRO19 GRAMS.—For the purpose of carrying out subsection 

20 (a), there is authorized to be appropriated 

21 $40,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2008 

22 through 2012. 

23 (2) SCHOOL-BASED PROJECTS.—For the pur24 pose of carrying out subsection (b), there is authorVerDate Aug 31 2005 03:37 Jul 17, 2007 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1790.IS S1790

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1 ized to be appropriated $10,000,000 for each of the 

2 fiscal years 2008 through 2012. 

3 (3) EVALUATIONS.—Of the total amount appro4 priated to carry out this section for a fiscal year, the 

5 Secretary shall reserve 10 percent of such amount to 

6 carry out subsection (c)(2). 

7 SEC. 4. MULTIMEDIA CAMPAIGNS. 

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall make grants 

9 to public and nonprofit private entities for the purpose of 

10 carrying out multimedia campaigns to provide public edu11 cation and increase awareness with respect to the issue 

12 of reducing the rates of unintended pregnancy and sexu13 ally transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS, among 

14 teens, and related social, physical, and emotional issues. 

15 (b) PRIORITY.—In making grants under subsection 

16 (a), the Secretary shall give priority to campaigns de17 scribed in such subsection that are directed toward eligible 

18 communities. 

19 (c) REQUIREMENTS.—A grant may be made under 

20 subsection (a) only if the applicant involved agrees that 

21 the multimedia campaign under such subsection will— 

22 (1) provide information on the prevention of 

23 unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted in24 fections, including HIV/AIDS, among teens; 


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1 (2) provide information that identifies organiza2 tions in the communities involved that— 

3 (A) provide health and educational services 

4 related to the prevention of unintended preg5 nancy and sexually transmitted infections, in6 cluding HIV/AIDS, for teens; and 

7 (B) provide necessary social and cultural 

8 support services; and 

9 (3) coincide with efforts of the National Clear10 inghouse for Teen Pregnancy Prevention that are 

11 made under section 5(b)(1). 

12 (d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—For the 

13 purpose of carrying out this section, there is authorized 

14 to be appropriated $6,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 

15 2008 through 2012. 

16 SEC. 5. NATIONAL CLEARINGHOUSE. 

17 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall make grants 

18 to a nonprofit private entity to establish and operate a 

19 National Clearinghouse for Teen Pregnancy Prevention 

20 (referred to in this section as the ‘‘Clearinghouse’’) for the 

21 purposes described in subsection (b). 

22 (b) PURPOSES OF CLEARINGHOUSE.—The purposes 

23 referred to in subsection (a) regarding the Clearinghouse 

24 are as follows: 


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1 (1) To provide information and technical assist2 ance to States, Indian tribes, local communities, and 

3 other public or private entities to develop content 

4 and messages for teens and adults that address and 

5 seek to reduce the rate of unintended pregnancy and 

6 sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/ 

7 AIDS, among teens. 

8 (2) To support parents in their essential role in 

9 preventing unintended pregnancy and sexually trans10 mitted infections, including HIV/AIDS, among teens 

11 by equipping parents with information and resources 

12 to promote and strengthen communication with their 

13 children about sex, values, and positive relationships, 

14 including healthy relationships. 

15 (c) REQUIREMENTS FOR GRANTEE.—A grant may be 

16 made under subsection (a) only if the applicant involved 

17 is an organization that meets the following conditions: 

18 (1) The organization is a nationally recognized, 

19 nonpartisan organization that has at least 10 years 

20 of experience focusing on preventing teen pregnancy 

21 and working with diverse groups to reduce the rate 

22 of teen pregnancy. 

23 (2) The organization has a demonstrated ability 

24 to work with and provide assistance to a broad 

25 range of individuals and entities, including teens; 


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1 parents; the entertainment and news media; State, 

2 tribal, and local organizations; networks of teen 

3 pregnancy prevention practitioners; reproductive 

4 health providers; businesses; faith and community 

5 leaders; and researchers. 

6 (3) The organization has experience in the use 

7 of culturally competent and linguistically appropriate 

8 methods to address teen pregnancy in eligible com9 munities. 

10 (4) The organization conducts or supports re11 search and has experience with scientific analyses 

12 and evaluations. 

13 (5) The organization has comprehensive knowl14 edge and data about strategies for the prevention of 

15 teen pregnancy. 

16 (6) The organization has experience in carrying 

17 out functions similar to the functions described in 

18 subsection (b). 

19 (d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—For the 

20 purpose of carrying out this section, there is authorized 

21 to be appropriated $1,500,000 for each of the fiscal years 

22 2008 through 2012. 

23 SEC. 6. RESEARCH. 

24 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting through the 

25 Director of the Centers for Disease Control and PrevenVerDate Aug 31 2005 03:37 Jul 17, 2007 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1790.IS S1790

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1 tion, shall make grants to public or nonprofit private enti2 ties to conduct, support, and coordinate research on the 

3 prevention of unintended pregnancy and sexually trans4 mitted infections, including HIV/AIDS, among teens in el5 igible communities, including research on the factors con6 tributing to the disproportionate rates of teen pregnancy 

7 and sexually transmitted infections in such communities 

8 and research-based strategies for addressing such dispari9 ties. 

10 (b) RESEARCH.—In carrying out subsection (a), the 

11 Secretary shall support research that— 

12 (1) investigates the incidence and prevalence of 

13 teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, 

14 including HIV/AIDS, among teens in communities 

15 described in such subsection; 

16 (2) examines— 

17 (A) the relationships between teen preg18 nancy and one or more of— 

19 (i) the mental and physical health and 

20 well-being of teens in the communities; 

21 (ii) teen access to a full range of fam22 ily planning services; 

23 (iii) the scholastic achievement of such 

24 teens; 


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1 (iv) family structure and communica2 tion; and 

3 (v) other factors contributing to dis4 proportionate rates of teen pregnancy and 

5 sexually transmitted infections among 

6 teens in such communities; 

7 (B) the variance in the rates of teen preg8 nancy and by— 

9 (i) location (such as inner cities, inner 

10 suburbs, outer suburbs, and rural areas); 

11 (ii) population subgroup (such as His12 panic, Asian-Pacific Islander, African13 American, and Native American); 

14 (iii) level of acculturation; and 

15 (iv) socioeconomic status (such as in16 come, educational attainment of the par17 ents of the teen, and school attendance of 

18 the teen); 

19 (C) the importance of the physical and so20 cial environment as a factor in placing commu21 nities at risk of increased rates of pregnancy 

22 and sexually transmitted infections; and 

23 (D) the importance of aspirations and mo24 tivations as factors affecting young people’s risk 

25 of teen pregnancy; 


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1 (3) is used to propose or identify additional 

2 strategies that will address the disproportionate 

3 rates of teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted in4 fections in such communities; and 

5 (4) wherever possible, includes efforts to link 

6 the measures to relevant databases, including health 

7 databases. 

8 (c) PRIORITY.—In making grants under subsection 

9 (a), the Secretary shall give priority to research that incor10 porates— 

11 (1) interdisciplinary approaches; or 

12 (2) a strong emphasis on community-based 

13 participatory research. 

14 (d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—For the 

15 purpose of carrying out this section, there is authorized 

16 to be appropriated $7,500,000 for each of the fiscal years 

17 2008 through 2012. 

18 SEC. 7. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS. 

19 (a) MEDICALLY ACCURATE INFORMATION.—A grant 

20 may be made under this Act only if the applicant involved 

21 agrees that all information provided pursuant to the grant 

22 will be age-appropriate, factually and medically accurate 

23 and complete, and scientifically based. 

24 (b) CULTURAL CONTEXT OF SERVICES.—A grant 

25 may be made under this Act only if the applicant involved 


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1 agrees that information, activities, and services under the 

2 grant that are directed toward a particular population 

3 group will be provided in the language and cultural context 

4 that is most appropriate for individuals in such group. 

5 (c) APPLICATION FOR GRANT.—A grant may be 

6 made under this Act only if an application for the grant 

7 is submitted to the Secretary and the application is in 

8 such form, is made in such manner, and contains such 

9 agreements, assurances, and information as the Secretary 

10 determines to be necessary to carry out the program in11 volved. 

12 SEC. 8. DEFINITIONS. 

13 For purposes of this Act: 

14 (1) The term ‘‘eligible community’’ has the 

15 meaning indicated for such term in section 3(a)(1). 

16 (2) The term ‘‘HIV/AIDS’’ means the human 

17 immunodeficiency virus, and includes the acquired 

18 immune deficiency syndrome. 

19 (3) The term ‘‘medically accurate’’ with respect 

20 to information, means information that is supported 

21 by research, recognized as accurate and objective by 

22 leading medical, psychological, psychiatric, and pub23 lic health organizations and agencies, and where rel24 evant, published in peer review journals. 


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1 (4) The term ‘‘racial or ethnic minority or im2 migrant communities’’ means communities with a 

3 substantial number of residents who are members of 

4 racial or ethnic minority groups or who are immi5 grants. 

6 (5) The term ‘‘Secretary’’ has the meaning in7 dicated for such term in section 3(a)(1). 

Æ 


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