II 

113TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 2531 

To reward and incentivize evidence-based State policies that improve educational continuity and limit juvenile court involvement and incarceration 

for youth through a priority in awarding certain competitive grants 

offered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JUNE 25, 2014 

Mr. MURPHY (for himself and Mr. BOOKER) introduced the following bill; 

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 

A BILL 

To reward and incentivize evidence-based State policies that 

improve educational continuity and limit juvenile court 

involvement and incarceration for youth through a priority in awarding certain competitive grants offered by 

the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. 

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 ‘‘Better Options for 

5 Kids Act of 2014’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. JUVENILE JUSTICE. 

2 Section 520A of the Public Health Service Act (42 

3 U.S.C. 290bb–32) is amended by adding at the end the 

4 following: 

5 ‘‘(g) PREFERENCE FOR JUVENILE JUSTICE PRO6 GRAMS.— 

7 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In awarding competitive 

8 grants under this section to programs for youth in9 volved in the criminal justice system or youth at risk 

10 of becoming involved in the criminal justice system, 

11 the Secretary, acting through the Administrator and 

12 in consultation with the Director of the Office of 

13 Safe and Healthy Students of the Department of 

14 Education and the Administrator of the Office of 

15 Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention of the 

16 Department of Justice, shall give preference to ap17 plications from— 

18 ‘‘(A) States that— 

19 ‘‘(i) demonstrate greater educational 

20 continuity, lower rates of juvenile court in21 volvement, and reduced recidivism, by im22 plementing, or planning to use the grant 

23 funds to implement, the required evidence24 based policies described in paragraph (2); 

25 ‘‘(ii) demonstrate existing partner26 ships or proposed partnerships— 


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1 ‘‘(I) through which the State will 

2 establish a coordinated process for 

3 service delivery and develop the ability 

4 to share information; 

5 ‘‘(II) that involve interagency 

6 agreements or strategic plans; and 

7 ‘‘(III) established through a 

8 memorandum of understanding or 

9 strategic plan signed by State, tribal, 

10 and local agency partners, as applica11 ble, articulating the commitment of 

12 the partners to a system of shared ac13 countability and contributions to 

14 achieving and measuring specific de15 sired results; 

16 ‘‘(iii) have certified, through the chief 

17 executive officer of the State, a commit18 ment to the partnerships described in 

19 clause (ii) and the responsibility of the 

20 State for the specific desired results of 

21 such partnerships; and 

22 ‘‘(B) entities within such States. 

23 ‘‘(2) REQUIRED EVIDENCE-BASED POLICIES.— 

24 To receive the preference under paragraph (1), a 

25 State or entity shall demonstrate through the grant 


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1 application that the State, or, in the case of an ap2 plication from an entity described in paragraph 

3 (1)(B), the State in which such entity is located and 

4 provides services, has implemented, or will use the 

5 grant funds to implement the following evidence6 based policies: 

7 ‘‘(A) The State provides training or funds 

8 training for local educational agencies in the 

9 use of discipline strategies and positive school 

10 climate strategies that minimize the use of sus11 pensions, expulsions, and other actions that re12 move students from instruction and that show 

13 evidence of effectiveness for improving the 

14 learning environment in the school, including 

15 schoolwide positive behavioral interventions and 

16 supports. 

17 ‘‘(B) The State requires or provides incen18 tives to local educational agencies (as defined 

19 under section 9101 of the Elementary and Sec20 ondary Education Act) to execute a written 

21 memorandum of understanding or other type of 

22 collaborative agreement with any law enforce23 ment agency that assigns school resource offi24 cers or other officers assigned to schools prohib25 iting the involvement of such officers in regular 


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1 student disciplinary matters and sets forth a 

2 description of the roles and responsibilities of 

3 the officers on school grounds. 

4 ‘‘(C) The State prohibits or limits court re5 ferrals for juvenile school-based status offenses, 

6 including cases involving a valid court order. 

7 ‘‘(D) The State has shifted, or has a plan 

8 to shift, significant funding formerly dedicated 

9 to secure detention of minors into community10 based alternatives to incarceration. 

11 ‘‘(E) The State has adopted, or will adopt, 

12 a reentry policy to ensure that youth in correc13 tional facilities can continue their education im14 mediately and without delay upon release from 

15 such facilities by providing for prompt reenroll16 ment into the most appropriate grade or edu17 cational setting based on their individual needs 

18 and designed to maximize their educational suc19 cess. 

20 ‘‘(3) REPORT.—Not later than 90 days after 

21 the date of enactment of the Better Options for Kids 

22 Act of 2014, the Secretary shall submit to the Com23 mittee on Appropriations of the Senate and the 

24 Committee on Appropriations of the House of RepVerDate Mar 15 2010 00:19 Jul 02, 2014 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2531.IS S2531

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1 resentatives a report that specifies the programs to 

2 which the preference under this subsection applies. 

3 ‘‘(4) SUNSET.—The application preference 

4 under this subsection shall cease to have force and 

5 effect 5 years after the date of enactment of this 

6 section.’’. 

Æ 


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